The Space Between
by Spunky0ne
Summary: One is a man driven to destroy the soul king and the other his lover who only waits to stab him in the heart. Both try to deny that they have fallen in love, but the hougyoku knows their true desires…and if there is a way, it will make them come true…yaoi, mpreg…Aizen/Gin/Tetsuya, Kenpachi/Byakuya, Urahara/Ichigo
1. Dreams Denied

**The Space Between**

 **By Spunky0ne**

 **(For Sariniste, who is responsible for making my muse go a little haywire creating this one. You like Aizen and Gin teasing poor Tetsuya, do you? Well, be careful what you wish for!)**

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 _ **One is a man driven to destroy the soul king and the other his lover who only waits to stab him in the heart. Both try to deny that they have fallen in love, but the hougyoku knows their true desires…and if there is a way, it will make them come true…yaoi, mpreg…Aizen/Gin/Tetsuya, Kenpachi/Byakuya, Urahara/Ichigo**_

 **XXXXXXXXXX**

 **Chapter 1: Dreams Denied**

Aizen Sousuke stood on a high balcony, his brown eyes quiet and tranquil as he watched the sun that he had conjured in the Hueco Mundo sky slowly set in the distance. He lifted a glass of red wine to his slightly frowning lips and sipped at the liquid, blinking as he swallowed. He heard a soft footstep and felt the touch of a reaitsu that both pleased and slightly angered him.

 _After all, to know that what I see when I look at him is a lie, a fabrication. Yes, it is a well crafted illusion he presents, but then, I am a master of illusion. Do you really think that you can fool me…Gin?_

"Sousuke," Gin said softly, his voice a departure from the more deferential tone he used in front of the Espadas.

The pleasing scent of the silver-haired man drifted across Aizen's senses, both soothing and piquing him as a smile crawled onto his lips.

"Come, Gin," he invited his comrade.

Gin gave a soft laugh and moved forward, curling into his arms and smilingly accepting a sip of wine from Aizen's offered glass. They shared a wine-flavored kiss, their hands slipping beneath each others' clothing and exploring absently as they continued talking.

"You seem especially affectionate tonight," Aizen purred into his slighter companion's ear, making the pale skin flush as much from the words as the heat of his breath, "It must have been a good day."

"Mmhmm," Gin affirmed, stealing another sip of the brown-eyed man's wine, then sharing it in a deeper, more passionate kiss, "Everything is going just as you said it would. The old man reacted just like you thought he would to Orihime's abduction. He's now convinced that you'll somehow find a way to use her to launch a direct attack on the Seireitei. A silent alert has been raised for all troops to return. He's called everyone back. Hmm, although, as soon as he did, Ichigo and his friends got together and started planning an invasion. Also, although Byakuya escorted Renji and Rukia back to Soul Society, it seems they have slipped away again almost immediately."

Gin studied his superior's calm, unaffected gaze.

"It doesn't bother you at all that Ichigo and his friends are going to come here?" he asked, "They caused a lot of trouble before in Soul Society. This is…part of your plans?"

Aizen's smile widened wickedly.

"Of course it is," he chuckled, "Everything is playing out as I thought it would. We are on the path and making wonderful progress. But, while the pieces move along their courses, we can take time for relaxation and enjoyment, ne?"

"Oh, I was hoping you would say that," Gin said seductively, curving a cool hand around Aizen's handsome face and tugging him gently towards the bedroom.

The two worked their way back inside, exchanging deeper and more passionate kisses as they approached the bed they shared. Gin fell back as they reached it, spreading his thighs to receive the hard press of his lover's hardened member that was held back only by their clothing. Aizen rubbed sensuously against Gin's nether region as he attacked the silver-haired man's face and throat with devouring teeth and lips, and a probing tongue.

 _I would be lying if I said that I didn't love being with him like this_ , Gin mused inwardly, _He is a wickedly beautiful man and his mind is so devious. If he hadn't stolen a piece of my best friend's soul, I might be able to forgive him._

 _But…_

 _Even though I have to kill him to get that piece of Rangiku's soul back, I'll have fun sharing this naughtiness with him. He is terribly good in bed._

Gin groaned and pushed his hips upward eagerly as Aizen's warm hands opened his clothing, baring the pale flesh of Gin's chest and soft belly. That voracious mouth sucked almost painfully and his tongue swept over the pink nubs on his white breasts, pausing to treasure one, then the other while his hands finished baring his lover's slender body. He kissed his way downward to Gin's navel, slowing to dip inside, then he continued on to his lover's excited privates and commenced a deeper exploration that soon had Gin writhing and panting beneath him, his mind too hazy for plotting or even thinking clearly. As Gin swayed and moaned beneath his hands and mouth, Aizen's fingers slid down and began a slow preparation.

 _I would have thought that Sousuke would be a cruel lover, but he does like to play. It's as though all of the plotting and thinking leaves him weary of everything and he just lets down here._

 _Little does he know…_

Gin wasn't sure why the thought suddenly left him feeling a little sad inside.

 _I suppose I will miss this_ , he had to admit to himself as Aizen's preparations ended and he positioned himself and began a long, unhurried entry, _I have to admit, he's been my only lover and I'm not at all sorry about that._

His eyes locked on Aizen's powerful brown orbs as the two surrendered to a flurry of hard, fast thrusts that swiftly brought them to the ends of their endurance. Gin gasped as the hard coil in his belly snapped and he gave himself over to the gripping shudders of a dizzying climax. He heard Aizen's low growl of surrender and felt the hard clenching of his hands as he loosed his release, deep into the silver-haired man's hot core. They collapsed together, kissing and caressing, teasing and laughing softly together as their bodies began a slow recovery.

 _There's no one like him…no one._

He read the like sentiment in his partner's lusty eyes and snuggled closer to him, sliding his fingers slowly over the curves of Aizen's face, throat and breast, feeling the hard, fast pounding of the man's heart.

 _No one knows the wickedness inside him as I do. No one's seen his relentless ambitions. They only know that he has plans to overthrow the king, but they have no idea that they are walking right into those plans. I wonder if he has any idea what my plans for him are. But now, if he did, he couldn't do this. He couldn't lie next to me, drifting off to sleep in my arms, as though he hadn't a care in the world._

"That is an oddly pensive look you are wearing," Aizen said suddenly, sending a little chill down his partner's slim spine.

Gin smiled disarmingly.

"I don't know what you mean," he chuckled off-handedly, "I'm quite in the moment, just like you. You've had too much of that wine. Are you worried about something?"

Aizen's fingers played gently in the silver strands of Gin's hair.

"Now, what would I have to be worried about?" he chuckled, smirking at his paler mate, "I have thought of everything."

"Have you?" Gin mused.

"Yes, Gin, I have. Go to sleep, now. It won't be long before Urahara sends his sweet Ryoka lover into our desert. We want to be well rested so we can fully enjoy his eventual arrival."

"Of course," Gin agreed, letting his eyes slide shut and leaving an open hand resting on his lover's proud chest.

Beneath his hand, the illusion-shrouded hougyoku pulsated softly, reading the desires of the two and sending an image into Aizen Sousuke's mind as he slept.

 _He found himself standing in a misted meadow, near a lake he remembered seeing on one of his visits to the Kuchiki estate. A monstrously huge hollow with sharp teeth and talons, his body lit with crackling electricity, faced a young swordsman who sat on the back of a tall black Arabian horse. He noticed immediately the markers of the Kuchiki family in the man's comely face and the uniform of Byakuya's personal guard. Surprisingly, there was also the mark of a healer._

" _Who are you?" the king of the hollows whispered, watching as the horse reared and began to charge, "and why has the hougyoku shown you to me?"_

The dream broke apart as the two foes collided, and Aizen's dark brown eyes opened and glanced curiously down to where Gin's hand rested on the hidden hougyoku.

 _You've given me an interesting puzzle to solve._

 _Now, why would you do that?_

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya sat up suddenly in his bed, his fingers clenching the covers and his sapphire eyes rounded and still seeing the huge, hulking hollow that had invaded his dreams. He panted softly for several moments, his heart pounding. His eyes blinked slowly and he registered his safe and familiar surroundings, and finally, the fear went out of his heart and he gave a little sigh of relief. A footstep sounded in the hallway outside his room, then someone tapped on the inner chamber door.

"Tetsuya-san," a gentle male voice called, "I heard you calling out. Is everything all right?"

"Come in, Koji," Tetsuya invited his attendant, smiling up at the dark-haired and green-eyed young man who entered, carrying a tea tray, "I am fine. I only had a nightmare. It was nothing."

He watched as the tray was deposited gently in his lap, then looked up at his attendant.

"Is Byakuya-sama awake yet?" he inquired.

Koji nodded.

"He's up and left for an emergency meeting early this morning."

Tetsuya frowned.

"Why didn't anyone wake me?" he objected, "I didn't need the extra rest. I should have accompanied him."

Koji gave him an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Tetsuya-san," he answered penitently, "Byakuya-sama told my brother to instruct me to let you sleep. He said he would be back for breakfast and training…and he took Arashi."

"Like _that_ is supposed to make me feel any better," Tetsuya complained, "Sometimes I don't know why we moved back in here from my adoptive family's home. I could run manor security without living here, and Byakuya-sama clearly doesn't need either my protective skills or my healing abilty."

"Don't say that, Tetsuya-san," Koji said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, "You know that Byakuya-sama is proud of your abilities. And if he doesn't need you here, why would he place the safety of, not just the manor, but the entire clan, in your hands for the coming war?"

Tetsuya bit his lip gently and glanced at the blue steel sword that rested in a fine, dark cherry wood sword stand across the room from his bed.

"I think it's his way of saying he's sorry that giving me a place close to him meant giving up a position in the military," Tetsuya mused, "But he doesn't have to feel bad. I never wanted a post in the military. Being close to Byakuya-sama and seeing to his care and protection after he saved me, is all that really matters to me anyway. But he hardly lets me do anything for him at all."

Tetsuya paused as a hell butterfly flitted in through the open garden doors and hovered in front of him.

 _Tetsuya_ , Byakuya's voice said solemnly, _my apologies, but I have been delayed by meetings for war preparations and will not return to the manor for our training. I will bring you up to date and work with you on plans for manor security when I return this evening._

Tetsuya let out a piqued breath and closed his eyes for a moment, his discomfited look making Koji shift uncomfortably and look back at him with sympathy. He considered for several moments, then brightened.

"Tetsuya-san, since you have much of the day free, we could make a trip into the Rukongai together. We could ask Mai-san if she wants to go. We can take sweets for the children and you could offer healing to some of the citizens. You always seem to feel better after doing that."

Tetsuya considered quietly, his blue eyes looking out into the tranquil gardens.

"There are plenty of children who need our help there," he acknowledged.

His expression softened as memories passed in front of his eyes of past trips into the Rukongai and the needy people who populated the lower districts.

"Well," he sighed, "it is better than sitting here all day and feeling sorry for myself. Very well, we'll go. We can take Byakuya-sama's Ikazuchi. He's probably feeling a little left behind too."

Koji smiled and rose from the bed, heading into the dressing area. He stepped into the closet and fetched out his master's fresh house guard's uniform while Tetsuya sipped at his tea for a few minutes, then moved to join his attendant. He stood quietly in front of the mirror, studying his pale reflection as Koji's caring hands undressed him. He knew that when he looked into the mirror, what he saw should have looked like any of the other noble sons of the family, but as usual, he only saw the flaws that weren't supposed to be visible…the common blood mingled with noble, the markers of breeding, but the presence of a more feral, gypsy heart.

 _I do try to be like them, but it's really the truth that I would be happier in the wild, living among the spirit steeds and not even wearing clothes_. _Maybe Orochi is right. Maybe, no matter how hard I try, I can't be like them. Maybe the real reason Byakuya-sama is avoiding me is because he begins to see._

 _No._

 _I am just feeling sorry for myself for being left behind. I want to be more than I am. I want to make Byakuya-sama proud, but even more, I want to feel that I deserve to be proud of myself. I don't know what it will take to reach that point. But while I sit here and despair, there are less fortunate people who are hurting, who are sick or who are hungry. I do have a powerful healing gift._

He sighed and closed his eyes, remembering the fourth division taichou's visit the day before.

" _What do you think?" he asked, watching Unohana's face as the lady taichou wrote down several notes into the journal she carried._

 _Unohana smiled warmly._

" _I think that you are miscast, being placed in the role of a fighter," she answered honestly, "You do have impressive fighting ability, but you do not enjoy fighting. You wish to protect, but your stronger instinct and your natural inclination is to heal. Your waterforms, although adapted to fighting, suggest an undeveloped healing application. With your permission, I would like to speak to Byakuya about…"_

" _Oh, my cousin will never let me enter the fourth division," Tetsuya said, shaking his head firmly, "The elders have already said that it would hamper my ability to serve Byakuya-sama's needs properly if I became too focused on an officer's position."_

 _Unohana gave him a skeptical look._

" _I think you know that such a claim is complete nonsense," she said matter-of-factly, "Many of our upper officers are noble sons and daughters, and they have no trouble seeing to their duties in both places."_

" _But that isn't really what they care about," Tetsuya sighed, "I am a mixed blood and they are not going to let me show up the very talented pureblood members of the family by making a spectacle of myself. And I don't care if anyone knows who I am. I just want to keep my place close to Byakuya-sama. He's the one person who cared enough to come and storm the illegal noble's prison and save me. I owe him whatever he asks of me because I wouldn't even still be alive if not for him. I was moments from being executed for being a breeder male when he arrived."_

" _I understand your feelings about this, of course," the lady taichou assured him, "but you must see that your gift is being wasted. So, if you wish, I would be happy to train you personally."_

 _She held up a hand to stop Tetsuya's instant objection._

" _Tetsuya, I am not asking you to join my division. I understand and respect your decision not to pursue that. What I meant is that I would like to train you privately, so that you might improve your capability for defending and healing your cousin."_

 _She gave Tetsuya a knowing wink._

" _This also means at such time as the elders grow wiser and revisit their decision, you will already have the skills you need to gain a higher position. I assure you, this is in everyone's best interests."_

"Tetsuya-san?" Koji said, breaking him out of his reverie,

"S-sorry?" Tetsuya stammered, shaking his head to clear it.

He noticed then that his attendant had finished dressing him.

"Ah, thank you, Koji."

Koji gave him an understanding smile.

"I will go and have Matsuko-san gather some things together for the trip and I'll message Mai-san to see if she wants to come along."

"Very well," Tetsuya agreed, moving to the garden doors and looking up into the cloudy sky.

He listened to Koji's retreating footsteps and loosed a deeper, shuddering sigh.

 _I wonder sometimes._

 _Why did I survive Itamigiri…and so many others did not?_


	2. Walking Blindly

**Chapter 2: Walking Blindly**

 **(Just a quick note to those still waiting for longer Aizenfics like Paper King, To Die For, Longings and such: I am just about to leave my job, so I will have a lot more time to work on the stories that are longer and I have to check facts on. I meant to spend more time on them during Aizenmonth, but was just getting worked to death. Tuesday is my last day there, so after that, I will do posts on some of the longer Aizen stories. Spunky promises! Love you all! Enjoy the new chapter of this one!)**

Mai smiled as she and Tetsuya passed through a small town in the central Rukongai, heading for the lower districts. She admired the simple, but elegant blue yukata her adoptive son wore, and the small porcelain clip in a little braided length of his hair, on the left side.

"Is that a new outfit?" she asked, her smile warming at the glimmer of contentment her words brought," I don't think I've seen you wearing it before."

"It was an early birthday gift from Byakuya-sama," Tetsuya explained, touching his fingers to the fine material," And the clip was a personal token of his appreciation for my efforts in protecting him."

"I remember it," Mai recalled, "It was one that his mother received as a gift from Soujun-sama. I am sure the piece is dear to Byakuya-sama…almost as dear to him as you are."

"He spoils me," Tetsuya said, blushing, "probably because he feels bad that there is so little for me to do. At least, if I was allowed to join the fourth division, I could be helping with the healing."

"But, you told me that Unohana taicho approached you about private training."

"Yes."

"Are you going to work with her, Tetsuya?" Mai inquired, "Not to try to influence you, but it could give you something more to do with your talents. I see the frustration you feel."

"I want to be Byakuya-sama's protector and I want to be there to heal him, if he is injured," Tetsuya sighed, "But he is so strong, he doesn't seem to need me in either role."

"Oh, I don't think it's that," his mother assured him, "You know that ever since he lost Hisana-sama, he has been especially protective of you, much like he is with Rukia-chan."

"But he was the one who helped me to grow my powers in the first place.," Tetsuya objected, "And it was Byakuya-sama who encouraged me to put my skills to the best use. He was frustrated when the elders would not approve my entrance into the military, but I was secretly glad, because it meant that I could focus all of my efforts on repaying Byakuya-sama for all he has done for me, by being his protector and healer."

"I know he appreciates having you at his side," Mai said reassuringly, "I imagine it's just that Aizen's betrayal has shaken him. He was badly hurt, and Rukia-chan was endangered. Byakuya-sama probably feels a need to protect you both more closely. It doesn't mean that he's right to overdo it like he is, but you can understand where it's coming from ne?"

"Yes, I suppose," Tetsuya said, frowning, "Unfortunately, it doesn't make me feel any less useless."

"You are not useless," Mai chided him, reaching over to squeeze his hand, "Not to Byakuya-sama and not to the people, here, in the Rukongai. Do you know how the folks in the lower districts refer to you? I've heard them calling you the Rukongai Angel."

"What? Really?" Tetsuya asked, looking amused, "I'm hardly that."

"But you are, don't you know?" Mai said, her eyes softening, "Do you know what a blessing you are, coming down here to care for their injuries, and to cheer them with the food and drink that you treat them to?"

Mai sighed more longingly.

"And do you know what a blessing you were to Sadao, the girls and me when you came to us?"

Tetsuya gave a little amused laugh.

"I was a wreck. I would barely speak to you at first."

"At first," Mai agreed, "But as the days passed, you grew stronger and more attached to us. You still suffered from the horrors you had experienced, but even as you struggled, you brought a light back into our midst. Losing our own son was so hard for all of us. But having you come to us, having you need us, and be needed by us…it was good for us all, Tetsuya. I don't know what we would do without you now. You have become such an important part of our family!"

"I don't know what I would do without all of you," Tetsuya sighed, "After losing my mother and father in Itamigiri, I had no one. I didn't even know what being in a family was like. I barely saw my own family, and I never lived in a regular house or did anything normal."

"We made up some for that lost time, didn't we?" Mai chuckled.

"I was such a little savage," Tetsuya laughed, blushing, "I had no manners at all. I remember how Aratane and Kohana would cover their mouths so they wouldn't make me feel bad by laughing out loud at my mistakes."

"Your mistakes were endearing," Mai said, hugging him as they continued to walk, "and they were a good reminder that all of us are lucky to have each other. You went through so much as a child before you came to us, and although we lost our Hiromi, at least we had lots of beautiful years with him. We have these years, now, with you, and Sadao and I are grateful. We are so proud of who you have become."

"Thank you," Tetsuya said, hugging her back.

They continued along the road, sobering as they reached the beginning of the lower districts. The well built houses and manicured gardens gave way to more rickety looking structures made of odds and ends of wood, held together with sod or tied together with ropes of braided, strong grass. Even in the towns, the wood used everywhere was weathered, and the people's skin looked as weathered as the dry boards. Their faces reflected resignation, and they moved about mostly with wary eyes and a shuffling gait.

"What happened here, I wonder?" Tetsuya mused as they walked through the town, "This isn't one of the lowest districts, but these people seem especially run down. Somehting must have happened," he reasoned.

He found a tired looking vendor and purchased warm bread for himself and Mai, then the two sat at a table beside the man's cart to eat.

"I've noticed the folk here look weary," Tetsuya commented quietly, "Has an illness come through town? Do some folks need healing?"

"Not an illness," the man said, "A witch hollow. She's got a garganta she uses on the edge of town, and she's been in a few times, knocking things about and dragging people away."

"I see," Tetsuya said, frowning, "And have you asked for help from the Gotei 13?"

The man shrugged.

"Yeah, but it don't do no good. They've got three hundred twenty districts to look after, they say. They got no one to send."

Tetsuya nodded.

"Mother, if you will please wait for me here. I will be right back."

Mai frowned determinedly and shook her head firmly.

"You're not going without me. We're family. We stick together."

"Sure'n you're not going out there to face her down?" the vendor asked anxiously, "She's damn powerful, scuse my language ma'am. But I don't want to see nice folks like you taken too."

"My son is a powerful fighter," Mai said proudly, "and this old croon has a thing or two up her sleeve too."

"W-well, be careful then. And…and I'll have stew ready for you when you come back. On the house. I'm grateful to you. Just, be careful. She's a nasty beast."

Tetsuya nodded and extended a hand, summoning his blue steel blade as Mai did the same.

"Please, Mother, let me do the fighting," Tetsuya insisted, "Not that I doubt you will do well. I just don't want you to get hurt."

"You're sure a smart mouth," Mai laughed, "No witch is going to get the best of me. You don't worry about a thing. I'll stay outta your way and give her a whipping if she gets any ideas about playing nasty tricks. Those ones have got loads of them."

The two flash stepped to the edge of the town, extending their senses and gradually honing in on the witch's location, in a cluster of thorny, dead bushes. Tetsuya nodded to Mai, who staggered forward, pretending to favor an injured ankle.

"What bad luck this is," she grumbled, pretending not to see the malevolent eyes peeking out from within the brush and the thickening, pungent reiatsu, "Just short of town and a sprained ankle. No healer when I do get to town!"

Tetsuya angled off to the side, holding his blade ready and summoning several waterforms. He watched as the witch began to stalk Mai, keeping to the shadows. Just as the witch came close enough to attack, Tetsuya shifted his mother's body to one of his protective waterforms and shifted his own to the place she had occupied. The witch attacked, but screeched in surprise and fury as she found herself facing, not an injured townswoman, but an armed fighter. Tetsuya slashed at the witch hollow, sending her crashing to the ground, her damaged body shooting out plumes of poisoned gas. Tetsuya conjured a cyclone of water and spun it around the dark gas, capturing it and sending it spinning away.

"Leave now!" he ordered the witch, "If you do not retreat, I will destroy you."

He made a sound of surprise as the witch laughed and disappeared. She reappeared a moment later, in the midst of an attack on Tetsuya's back, but screamed in pain as Mai's sword slashed across her back.

"You give up now?" Mai demanded, "It's your last chance, and you're lucky to have that! Get out now, or we'll finish you!"

The witch hissed and cackled wickedly, backing slowly into the garganta she used for escape. She glared into Tetsuya's determined eyes, still backing away, and was just beginning to close the garganta, when she uttered a sudden phrase, and a swirl of reiatsu spun out from her body and wrapped around Tetsuya's slender form. Tetsuya turned, thinking to cut the reiatsu to free himself, but a jolt went through him as he felt his skin begin to numb.

"Tetsuya!" Mai cried, "Not my boy, you don't!"

She sent a kido blast around Tetsuya's side that crashed into the witch, who tumbled backwards. Tetsuya made a sound of dismay as another tendril of reiatsu wrapped around him, yanking him through the opening, and into the dark corridor between worlds. He crashed down, still held in the expanding web of reiatsu, watching through widened eyes as the witch closed in, her lips already moving to whisper another attack spell. Given a moment to think, Tetsuya summoned a water droplet onto his fingers, then shook it off, onto the pathway that their bodies were generating. A moment of concentration later, he shifted his body to the location of the fallen droplet and brought his sword to bear, slashing the witch across the chest and stepping back to avoid the eruption of her dark green blood.

 _Everything about her is noxious_ , he noticed.

He felt a twinge of alarm as even her disappearance failed to clear the numbness from his limbs and the rising dizziness in his head. He made his way back to the place where the garganta had been, but found it sealed.

 _Only those with knowledge of the garganta, can open one. I can't open a senkaimon from here in my weakened state. My only option is to try to find a hollow exiting, and to follow carefully._

He extended his senses, listening closely for any sounds indicating a hollow entering the corridor. For a long time, there was only the sound of water droplets falling. But finally, just when he was beginning to feel panic set in, he felt the change in reiatsu meaning that the doorway was opening, and a tall, blue-haired hollow stepped into the blackness, heading for the living world.

 _If I can follow him, I can try to get to Karakura Town and obtain healing at Urahara Kisuke's shop. I just need to…_

He made a sound of distress and dropped to his knees as the dizziness in his head intensified. He was all too aware of the blue-haired hollow stopping in his tracks and turning. In a desperate effort, he loosed a blast of kido and tried to disappear while it distracted the hollow.

"Sorry," the hollow growled, reaching through the disorienting mist and grabbing Tetsuya by the front of his yukata. The blue eyed shinigami struggled furiously, but froze in place as a clawed hand tightened around his throat.

"Should I just choke you out?" the hollow snarled, baring his teeth, "You're a lot of trouble."

"H-healer!" Tetsuya managed, "I am a healer!"

"A healer, huh?" the hollow huffed, eyeing him closely, "You pack a pretty good kido wallop for a weakling healer."

"W-well, not all healers are weaklings," Tetsuya replied, holding tightly to the claw at his throat.

"I see that," the hollow said, giving him a toothy smile, "Okay, healer, how'd you end up in here?"

"I was p-pulled in by a w-witch hollow," Tetsuya explained, coughing and grabbing his throat as the hollow suddenly released him, "I was trying to defend a mid-Rukongai town that was being ravaged."

"Protecting, not healing?" the hollow said, arching an eyebrow, "Well, then, you are more than a healer, and you have some power if you were fighting a witch hollow. I think I'll need to take you back to Las Noches with me."

"What? No!" Tetsuya gasped, "I was only trying to defend my home! I'm no one important. They'll just kill me. Please, if I can do something to help you…"

"Help me," the hollow laughed, "How th'fuck's a little shitstain like you gonna help me? And why should I care if you do get killed? No skin off my nose. I don't know you."

"My name is Tetsuya. I am a townsman and healer of the west sixtieth district. I am sure that if you just let me go, I can find a way to return the favor someday…um…ah…"

"Hmph, the name's Grimmjow. Jaegerjaques Grimmjow. Tell you what, healer. I kinda like your spunk. You're not bad looking. You have a problem with being fucked by a hollow?"

"S-sleeping with…" Tetsuya gasped, "I…"

"It's that or go to the dungeon in Las Noches. And your pretty ass would be getting way more company than just me. You take care of me for awhile, I'll look out for you and let you go when I'm done with you. My word is good. If I wasn't willing to let you live, I'd kill you right now."

"You have a code of honor?" Tetsuya said softly, studying the hollow closely, "Not to offend you, but it isn't something that most hollows have."

"You got a problem with it?" Grimmjow growled warningly.

"N-no," Tetsuya said, relaxing slightly, "And as you have captured me, I suppose that your offer is generous."

"Heh, don't be so sure. You haven't been to bed with me yet."

Tetsuya deflated and lowered his eyes.

"I was a sexual slave when I was younger. I don't think one could be more cruel than my last master."

Grimmjow gave an amused little snicker and wrapped a small silver band around Tetsuya's wrist, sealing his powers away.

"You're kinda cute, for a shinigami," he muttered, ruffling Tetsuya's hair almost affectionately, "You do what you're told and nothing bad will happen to you."

"Th-thank you, Grimmjow-s-sama," Tetsuya said, shivering.

"All right," the hollow sighed, "I guess I'll go and show you where you'll be staying. That charm I placed on you will keep the other hollows from messing with you. Just don't piss off Aizen, Gin or Tosen if you meet'em. Keep your head down and wait for me where I leave you, okay?"

"Okay," Tetsuya said breathlessly.

 _I have to get him to leave me, then find a way to…_

Tetsuya paused, a more insistent thought striking him.

 _I'm being taken in by an Espada! If he takes me into Las Noches, I may be able to spy on Aizen and learn his plans. I feel bad about worrying everyone back home, but it is critical that if we have a way to see the enemy's plans, we must do so!_

He followed Grimmjow quietly out of the garganta, and into a large courtyard. Grimmjow led him past a pair of hollow guards, whose eyes followed Tetsuya closely as he passed, and whose tongues ran over their bony mouths longingly in response. Inside the fortress entry, Grimmjow turned him down a long hallway and into a section of finely furnished rooms. He opened the door to one and guided Tetsuya through, closing the door behind him. Grimmjow studied Tetsuya's comely face and downcast blue eyes and licked his lips wantonly.

"Hey," he said, unzipping his pants, "why don't you come over here and give me a little preview? Show me what you can do with that pretty mouth of yours."

Tetsuya kept his eyes lowered and dropped to his knees in front of the sexta Espada, quivering at the sight of the hollows huge, inflamed member. The hollow's musky scent drifted across his senses, making him shiver harder, but he took a steadying breath.

 _I learned in Itamigiri how to keep myself alive and how to use my master's lust as a way to earn better treatment. Grimmjow only needs to feel he is in control. This is a test._

Tetsuya leaned forward, parting his lips and looking up into Grimmjow's aggressive, hungry gaze. But he was stopped short of making contact as the door opened and two shinigamis dressed in the white clothing of the Arrancars stepped inside.

 _Aizen Sousuke and Ichimaru Gin!_

Tetsuya turned his head to the side, as though humiliated.

 _It's best not to test whether or not they would know me._

"Grimmjow," Aizen said smoothly, "so sorry to interrupt your amusements, but I'll need to meet with you in the throne room."

"Is something wrong?" the Sexta Espada asked, zipping up his pants.

"Not at all," the leader of the hollows said blithely, "But, who is this? A new acquisition?"

"Saved him from a witch hollow," Grimmjow lied, "He's mine."

"Hmm."

Tetsuya's breath caught as Aizen's cool fingers captured him beneath the chin and raised it so that their eyes met. His heart sank at the instant flash of recognition. He blinked in surprise at Aizen's next words.

"You look familiar. Who are you?"

"J-just a townsman and healer," Tetsuya managed breathlessly.

Aizen's smile chilled him to the core.

"Oh, I just know that's not all there is to you, my young friend. Gin, will you take…?"

"Tetsuya."

"Will you take Tetsuya…to my quarters, please?"

"Hey!" Grimmjow complained.

"Do you have a complaint?" Aizen asked, raising his reiatsu until the powerful hollow broke out in a sweat and began panting in distress.

"N-no," Grimmjow growled, "Take him. Fine."

"Ah," Aizen chuckled, "that's what I thought you said."


	3. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

**Chapter 3: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea**

 **(Cherry-chan appears courtesy of my lovely packmate, TheDrunkenWerewolf. Go on over and check out her work. She is pretty darned amazing! Enjoy the new chapter! Love, Spunky)**

"Come right this way, pretty healer," Gin said, smirking as he led Tetsuya past several sets of hollow guards, to large double doors that he assumed led into Aizen's own quarters.

Tetsuya's breath caught as the doors opened and Gin led him into the beautifully appointed bedroom. Everything from floor to ceiling was rich and earthy in color, from the plush burgundy carpets to the delicately detailed dark red drapes and golden light fixtures. The reiatsu in the room felt calm and a light scent hung in the air that left Tetsuya feeling slightly dizzy. Gin smiled at his reaction and touched his fingertips to the silver band that Grimmjow had placed on his wrist.

"Got to make sure that everyone knows you belong to lord Aizen," the silver-haired man chuckled, "although, you shouldn't assume that means anything good for you. I will say, though, you piqued his curiosity. I can see he thinks he knows you. I get the feeling you remember him too. I was watching you pretty closely when he was talking to Grimmjow. Anything you'd like to share with me about that?"

"There isn't," Tetsuya insisted, "I told you everything there is to know. I don't think I've ever met Aizen-sama. If I did, I just don't recall it."

"And if you'd met him, you certainly wouldn't have forgotten unless he wanted you to," Gin said, tilting his head and studying Tetsuya more closely, "You know, he's right though, that you are more than what you're saying."

He reached out and plucked the lovely ceramic clip from the end of the braid in Tetsuya's hair.

"No! Please don't take that!" Tetsuya objected, "It…it belonged to my mother. It's the only thing I have of hers. It's not worth anything, it's just…valuable to me."

"Ah-ha," Gin said, admiring the hand painted cherry blossom on the piece, "this is a clue, isn't it? It could have been made anywhere, but it was made by someone who knows his artwork. There is quite some careful detail."

He paused, tapping lightly on his chin, then he smiled at Tetsuya and placed the clip back in his hair.

"You know, I'm only getting more of a vibe from you that tells me you are more than what you appear to be. I'll warn you right now that you won't be able to keep any secrets from Sousuke. He knows a million ways to get what he wants from you. Everyone knows now that he is able to use illusions to…"

"He uses illusions to fool the senses," Tetsuya finished, flinching as he realized what he had revealed with the words.

He hastily moved to explain.

"That is common knowledge since Aizen-sama's betrayal. It is spreading through the Rukongai how he used his illusions to fool even the taichos of the Gotei 13."

"So, you listen to the town gossip?" Gin said, eyeing him curiously, "This is how you know? I suppose that is plausible enough. But I still think you're hiding something."

"I suppose everyone has secrets," Tetsuya said solemnly, "Mine are simply not useful to a powerful man like Aizen-sama."

"Why don't you let Sousuke and me be the judges of that?" Gin suggested, glancing around the room for a moment, "You should settle in and make yourself comfortable."

He gave Tetsuya a wicked little smirk.

"Things will probably get less comfortable as we move along, after all."

He paused as a guard opened the bedroom door to let in a pretty snow white fox with wide, friendly violet eyes. The fox ran first to Gin, yipping and nuzzling his hand before turning her attention to the pale, delicate looking young man in his company. She moved closer to Tetsuya, waving her fluffy tail like a little flag.

"This is Cherry-chan," Gin explained, "She's a little friend I rescued from a pretty bad storm awhile back. Cherry-chan has pretty good instincts, Tetsuya-chan. Let's see what she thinks about you."

Tetsuya felt a little shiver go through him at Gin's words, but he relaxed and looked into the little fox's pretty eyes.

"Hello, Cherry-chan," he greeted the fox, extending a slender hand, but letting the fox approach him, "I am Tetsuya of the Rukongai."

He thought for a moment about the silent communication form he used to speak to his spirit steed companion and visualized what he wanted to convey in his mind.

 _Friend._

Cherry-chan's neck stretched as she reached out to sniff Tetsuya's offered hand. She looked up into his eyes, then moved closer and sat down, still waving her tail and yipping softly.

"Oh, Che-che likes you," Gin said approvingly, "You know, she's a pretty good judge of character."

He startled Tetsuya with a sudden little giggle.

"It's taken her awhile to be more friendly with Sousuke. But she thinks you are friendly and a little lonely, maybe?"

"Um…" Tetsuya mumbled uncertainly.

He sucked in a surprised breath, blushing as Gin's hand captured his chin and the elder man's slitted eyes opened to look directly into his. Tetsuya was instantly frozen helplessly in place, blushing furiously as Gin lips brushed against his suggestively, then moved to tease his pale earlobe.

"You won't be lonely at all here, healer. Sousuke is picky about who he lets near him, and he finds a use for everyone around him. If he didn't think you were useful, he would have let Grimmjow enslave you or he would have killed you outright. That he'd invite you, a perfect stranger, into his bedroom tells me that he's sensed there's something about you. I'll warn you right now not to directly disobey him."

"D-directly disobey?" Tetsuya whispered, shivering as Gin's hand curved around his flushed cheek.

"Sousuke likes men with a little spark, you know? You're no use to him if you're too subservient or if you are too defiant. So, if you want to impress him, at least act like you don't enjoy him touching you. At the same time, don't directly defy him. Do that and he'll really like you."

"You…want him to like me? Why?" Tetsuya asked, blinking in confusion.

Gin glanced down where Tetsuya's hand was stroking a blissful Cherry-chan's head as the fox's tongue lolled out and her tail waved frenetically back and forth.

"Oh, that's easy," Gin laughed, "I want Sousuke to like you because Cherry-chan likes you. She has a good sense about people. I trust her reaction to you. If Sousuke likes you, Cherry-chan will be happy, because you'll be with us for at least awhile. But…if he doesn't, you probably won't live until morning…and Cherry-chan would be sad."

"Oh," Tetsuya managed breathlessly.

"So, try to please him, but don't be too submissive."

Tetsuya couldn't think of an answer, but managed a short nod of agreement. Gin turned and headed for the door.

"Come, Cherry-chan," he called to the fox.

Cherry looked up at Gin, but sat down at Tetsuya's feet, making Gin grin in response.

"I see. Stay then, if you like. I'm sure Tetsuya-chan will like having someone friendly to cheer him up."

The little fox yipped in response and nuzzled Tetsuya's leg.

Tetsuya watched silently as Gin left, then he looked around the room again and spotted a dressing area and bathroom. He glanced down at Cherry-chan.

"I'm quite filthy from the fighting," he explained, "I'll need a shower. Um, can you warn me if someone is coming in? This is such a strange place and I feel…unsettled."

Cherry-chan whimpered and laid down at the bathroom door as Tetsuya went inside. He slipped out of his clothing, setting aside his dressing robe.

 _I haven't anything to wear and I don't think Aizen-sama would take kindly to me borrowing his clothing._

He showered quickly, expecting every moment that someone…Aizen or Gin, or a guard or attendant, would come in and…well, what, he wasn't sure. But he scoured his body swiftly, then exited the shower. He paused and sucked in a surprised breath at the beautiful blue yukata he found waiting for him. He looked around, but no one appeared to speak to him. And when he had dried off and dressed and walked out into the room, only Cherry-chan waited within for him. A savory meal had been laid out on the table for him and a bowl on the floor looked to have been eaten from recently.

"I thought you were going to warn me if someone came in," he chided her gently, "but I suppose it was just an attendant. Whoever it was got my size just right. And blue is my favorite color."

Tetsuya sat down at the table, marveling at the delicious scents leaking out from under the silver cover on his plate. He lifted it and found the meal beneath to be mouth watering and perfectly cooked.

 _Oh, I hadn't even dared to hope I would be treated so well. If Grimmjow had had his way, I would probably be serving his lust already, with no meal at all. Perhaps it is just that Aizen-sama expects a lot._

 _I don't know._

 _Will he be cruel like Orochi was? Will he want to hurt me for his pleasure? And what about Gin-san? He seemed to want me to make a good impression. Is this because he likes me, himself? Or is there another reason he wants me to stay? What is his story? I feel there is something odd about the way he behaved with me._

 _I will watch him closely._

Tetsuya finished his meal, then walked alongside Cherry-chan, out to the balcony that overlooked the wide expanse of desert. Aizen had affected the sky so that there was a day and night around the fortress. As night fell, Tetsuya curled up on a chaise with his arms around the little fox and his face buried in her fur. He waited silently until late into the night, but Aizen and Gin had still not arrived in the room. Finally, he walked back inside, but he balked at invading what he sensed was the place where Aizen and Gin enjoyed a vigorous sexual relationship. Cherry-chan nudged his hand and he petted her absently.

 _I don't think I can sleep there._

Instead, he took a coverlet from a chair in the room and climbed onto the wide wooden ledge of the big picture window in the room. He laid down, looking out at the crescent moon and twinkling stars, wondering whether he would ever see his own room in Kuchiki Manor again.

 _I can't let myself think about that now._

 _But…I am sure that Byakuya-sama has heard by now from my mother about what happened to me. I don't want to worry them, but as much as that is true, neither can I miss this chance to do something really useful for my cousin. No one has been able to get this close to Aizen since his betrayal. If I manage to convince him that I'm useful to him somehow, then he will let me stay as his servant. From there, maybe I can gather some information that I can send back home._

He sat up suddenly, blinking and shaking his head.

 _Oh, Arashi!_

 _I thought about it earlier, but I was distracted from it. Arashi and I can share thoughts. If I reach out for him, I can summon him here and he can help me relay information to Byakuya-sama!_

Tetsuya focused inward, imagining Arashi's lovely equine face and sending his thoughts.

 _Arashi, can you hear me?_

He felt a twinge of disappointment at receiving no thought in reply. Trying again resulted in the same disturbing silence.

 _I imagine this is because we are in different worlds. We have the same difficulty when one of us crosses the precipice world and emerges on the opposite side. Still, if Byakuya-sama comes to Hueco Mundo to look for me, based on Mai's seeing me pulled into the garganta, then he will probably bring Arashi with him to sense for me. I just have to wait, then, until they come._

 _I wonder how long that will be._

He continued to gaze out at the moon and stars until sleep overtook him and he dozed off with Cherry-chan curled up in his arms. It was several hours more before the doors to the bedroom opened and Tetsuya jerked awake and sat up, holding Cherry-chan against him and watching as Aizen and Gin entered the room together.

"Ah yes," Aizen chuckled upon seeing him, "I hadn't forgotten you, Tetsuya. My apologies for you having to wait so long here for us, but it looks like you had company."

Cherry-chan jumped down from Tetsuya's arms and ran to Gin, licking his hand and nuzzling him before darting out of the room as an attendant arrived to turn down the bed. Aizen waited as the attendant saw to his task, then bowed and exited, leaving the three men alone.

"Now then," Aizen said, smirking and advancing until he trapped Tetsuya with his back to Gin, who captured the other man's wrists and held him in place for the hollow leader's perusal, "let's see who you are."

He gazed down into his captive's widened blue eyes, gradually raising his reiatsu. As the spiritual pressure around him increased, Tetsuya felt weight pressing in from all sides. He broke out in a sweat, but forced his trembling body not to give in. The air seemed to grow thicker and harder to breathe as Aizen's power swelled relentlessly around him.

 _He is testing my resistance. Gin warned me to resist, but not to openly defy this man. I don't know if I should be trusting him, but it seems that it might be best to do so for now. Aizen looks both surprised that I haven't collapsed under the pressure, and even more curious._

 _Still, the weight is heavier than Orochi's ever was when he dominated me. It is heavier than Byakuya-sama's when he was training me to fight._

 _I…can't…breathe!_

He locked his knees, ignoring the fact that he was shaking all over, and that Gin was staring at him in complete fascination. He might have died right there, standing, if Gin hadn't suddenly pressed a knee in behind Tetsuya's, making one leg give way. Gin caught the overwhelmed shinigami as he fell and lost consciousness, and he gave a little laugh.

"My, my, he could be a bit of trouble, couldn't he?"

"His resistance to my reiatsu is considerable," Aizen said appreciatively, "Bring him to the bed and let's have a closer look, shall we?"

Gin nodded and carried Tetsuya to the bed, then laid him down and watched silently as Aizen's hands opened his yukata, baring the young man's slender, pale body. The hollow leader's searching fingertips located Tetsuya's spirit core just below his navel, making a slow circle as he read the younger man's spirit strength.

"Impressive, especially considering that he appears to have an ability most suited to healing. His reiatsu suggests a careful balance within his soul. Equal parts healer and fighter. He is very unique. I sense more as well. There is something about this area just beneath his spirit core…a sort of humming of potential, yet there is an empty feeling as though something more should be there, but is not."

"What a strange thing to say," Gin commented, observing as Aizen's fingers moved on to find the six locations of Tetsuya's spirit centers, "I wonder what it means."

"It is as though that lower area is carefully shielded from the reiatsu that this man uses for his healing and fighting abilities. It's truly fascinating. I haven't seem something like this since…"

He broke off, frowning and furrowing his brow.

"Sousuke?" Gin inquired.

"Hmm," Aizen mused, bending over Tetsuya and removing his yukata completely.

He rolled the young man over, onto his belly, studying the flesh of his back closely.

"He was a slave. He was whipped numerous times. Look at the very light scarring. Someone went to a lot of trouble to heal him after. But these were too deep to be removed entirely. Interesting…"

He straightened, sighing as he considered. Then, he paused and tilted his head and using one hand to brush the dark hairs away from the back of Tetsuya's right shoulder. He and Gin made a sound of surprise as they spotted the markings there.

"Kuchiki Tetsuya, impure," Aizen read.

"Itamigiri?" Gin inquired.

"I see. This must be how I know him."

"What is Itamigiri?" Gin asked.

"It was an illegal prison in which mixed blood nobles were imprisoned and sometimes executed. I actually visited Itamigiri in disguise to observe and run experiments that…well, that I could not do elsewhere, _for various reasons_."

"You mean because they were inhumane?" Gin suggested.

"Sometimes. Some were not possible to do elsewhere because they required a certain kind of soul. If Tetsuya was a prisoner there, we may have crossed paths as scientist and subject. If that's the case, then he is not hiding anything about himself. He simply doesn't recall seeing me, because I was in disguise at the time."

"So…"

"I can test that by waking him and showing him the face I used there."

Gin stared in fascination as Aizen's face shimmered and changed, then he touched Tetsuya's face lightly and called his name. The young man groaned and shifted, his blue eyes opening and blinking as they slowly focused on Aizen's transformed visage. There was a breathless moment of hesitation, then intense fear blossomed on Tetsuya's face and a terrified scream escaped him as he bolted, only to be caught and held in place by Gin.

"Y-you!" Tetsuya gasped in horror, his pale breast heaving, "You were there! You were…in Itamigiri!"

"I was," Aizen admitted, "So, tell me, Kuchiki Tetsuya, were you one of my research subjects?"

Tetsuya's eyes clouded and he collapsed at Gin's feet.

"Well," Gin mused in a strangely empty sounding voice, "I think you have your answer, don't you?"


	4. Vamped

**Chapter 4: Vamped**

Tetsuya emerged from the fog he'd been in and found himself lying on his back in Aizen and Gin's bed, with his slender wrists bound to a metal rail on the headboard. Although he found the situation alarming, he was comforted somewhat by the fact that his yukata seemed to be closed and tied, and he didn't feel anything that suggested he'd been sexually assaulted.

The sound of a running shower told him where his captors likely were and that his time alone was going to be limited.

He shivered, recalling the face he had seen upon awakening the last time.

 _I hadn't seen that man since I was a prisoner…that scientist who was going to use me in one of his experiments, but Orochi entered the room and yelled at him not to touch me. That scientist looked curious and asked what was so special about me. Orochi looked at him and just said, "He's mine." and he had another prisoner sent. I was so scared, and I know that even if the scientist didn't use me, in the end, he certainly used one of my fellow prisoners. So…if this was Aizen covering his face with an illusion, he was doing horrible things to innocent people. The scientists who came to Itamigiri, knew they didn't have to be kind or answer for their cruelty, so they gave us no quarter. They used us any way they wanted to, and just destroyed the dead bodies of the ones who didn't survive._

 _I wonder what kind of awful things he did in his experiments. I wonder if he killed any of us. Whatever the case, I can't stay here with such a man. I was stupid to think I could spy on him and get away with it. I have to get out of here._

 _Luckily for me, there are few bonds that can hold me, because even bound, I can redistribute the water content of my body to slip out of kido bonds. And even with, my powers held back, I can cause my body to become transparent like water. But I can't make any unattached, exterior waterforms. I might be able to slip out of the room, but there's a barrier I sense out there. I will have to find a way past that…_

He focused inward, slowly rearranging the cells in his body so a thin layer of water came to the surface and allowed him to slip the bonds. He scrambled off the bed, then froze as he spotted Cherry-chan sitting in front of him, watching him closely.

"Oh…are you guarding me, Cherry-chan?" he asked, frowning.

The white fox's tail waved back and forth and she yipped and wiggled her ears at him.

He knelt in front of her, rubbing her ears and scratching her under the chin, making her whimper happily and thump a little back foot reflexively.

"How can I make you understand?" he whispered to her, "I don't dislike your master. He's been helpful in advising me how to handle myself with Aizen, but I have to get out if here. They'll hurt me, Cherry-chan! At least, Aizen will. You…understand he is dangerous, ne? Please, will you help me escape? I just need to get out to the desert. It's dark out and I can hide there."

He sighed softly.

 _If I can find a way to break the limiter on my powers…_

He stepped past the fox and headed out onto the balcony, thinking carefully.

 _The limiter won't stop me from becoming nearly invisible, but if I am touched with direct light, I will be seen._

He let his body fade out and heard Cherry-chan give a yip of surprise. She followed his barely visible form out onto the balcony outside the room and tilted her head, watching as he tested the barrier for weaknesses.

 _What can I do?_

 _I'll surely be found if I stay here._

He looked back at the fox, who sniffed the almost invisible form he was in and licked his hand.

"Any ideas?" he asked ruefully, "I really just want to go home, Cherry-chan. I'm sure my family is worried."

The fox whined and opened her mouth, wrapping it gently around Tetsuya's hand and pulling him to the barrier.

"What? But I can't…"

He made a sound of surprise as, with her guidance, he slipped through an opening she made. It was easy then to climb over the railing and slide down to where he could drop safely to the ground, and with night having fallen, he could keep to the shadows as he started to slink away.

 _Let's just hope I can find a way into the garganta…_

He looked up at Cherry-chan, who gazed down at him from the balcony.

"Thank you!" he whispered gratefully.

He melted into the night, keeping close to the buildings of the fortress and watching the positions of the guards. A little bit of observation revealed an area where hollows seemed to slip in and out of a garganta. He worked his way in that direction, his heart quickening as he sensed Aizen's rising reiatsu back in the master suite.

 _He's aware I'm gone, but the fact that I'm still wearing the limiter means my radiating reiatsu is very low, so he won't sense me right away, and as long as I'm not in the direct light…_

Tetsuya heard a little hissing sound in his mind and, at first, thought he could be reconnecting with his equine counterpart.

"Arashi?" he breathed softly.

 _Shhhhinigami_ , a voice that was clearly not his mount's whispered into his mind, _sssee me yet?_

A chill crept into the young man's insides.

 _What are you?_ he asked.

He felt something coming close to him, but could barely make out a thin outline in the darkness.

 _Sssomething elssse of the darknesss, Ssshinigami. Friendsss?_

The chills on Tetsuya's flesh increased as he felt the light brushings of an almost vaporous form.

 _Oh no!_

 _A hollow vamp?_

 _Their voices can hypnotize, their saliva causes a strange euphoria and their bite brings on irreversible transformation!_

He shivered and felt his body begin to go numb as a solidifying arm wrapped around his waist.

 _Sssleep, Ssshinigami._

Icy sweat broke out on his forehead and fluid concealing his own body leaked away, leaving him fully visible as the hollow vamp's eerily lovely, clouded form appeared in the corner of his visual range.

 _Sssweet!_

A strange excitement overtook him and his quivering body calmed under the slender hands that caressed as the vamp ran her long, wet tongue along his throat and kissed the back of his shoulder. A little voice in the back of his mind flickered in and out, warning him that something was wrong, but his limbs were already frozen, and he couldn't resist turning his head slightly to look directly into the vamp's deep, abyssal eyes. He thought he might have heard some distant barking sounds, but was so far gone that he wasn't even sure where he had heard the sound before. The vamp's lips brushed on the wet skin her tongue had stroked and he sensed that something was about to happen as she bared her sharp, white fangs.

"Well, that won't do at all!" Gin's voice said disapprovingly, "Shoot to kill, Shinsou!"

Tetsuya felt the vamp's body jerk and heard a spine-tingling shriek in his reeling mind as he started to fall, then was swept up into someone's arms.

"Did she bite him?" Aizen's voice asked from behind Gin.

The silver-haired man laid Tetsuya down on the sand, and he examined the area closely, using his reiatsu to banish the remaining droplets of saliva on the young man's throat and shoulder.

"No, she just licked him a bit. She liked to play before feeding. Funny, though…"

"Hmm?"

"He's out of it, but she didn't get him aroused at all."

"Is that so?"

"What would you like me to do with him?" Gin asked.

The two men exchanged amused glances and Cherry-chan yipped and flicked her tail back and forth.

"You banished all of the saliva?"

"Yes."

Gin snickered.

"And he's getting aroused now."

"Is he?" Aizen answered, smirking, "Well, we should take him back inside. The effect will last for several hours, and if he is left under the influence without some… _relief_ , he could actually go permanently insane."

"That has been known to happen," Gin agreed, "and we wouldn't want that."

"Not at all," Aizen said smoothly, "Come Gin."

Gin looked down into Tetsuya's glazed eyes and shook his head.

"Not a wise decision to go wandering, now was it?" he chided the young man.

Tetsuya's pale breast heaved and his mouth opened, revealing the beginnings of fangs.

"Oh dear, that looks dangerous, doesn't it?" he chuckled.

He carried Tetsuya back into the master suite and laid him on his back on the bed. Tetsuya gazed blindly up at the ceiling, moaning softly and shifting uncomfortably as his loins ached and throbbed hungrily. His voice took on an ethereal edge and his blue eyes glowed enchantingly.

"Are you quite sure he wasn't bitten?" Aizen asked, "This is a strong reaction."

The two observers made sounds of surprise as the glow began to radiate more strongly around Tetsuya's affected form, then misty tendrils reached out to tickle their senses.

"Oh, that's so naughty!" Gin giggled, "Poor Tetsu-chan would die of embarrassment if he realized how badly he's behaving."

"Unacceptable," Aizen agreed, "and while indulging might seem unethical, it's also not ethical to just let him go insane, now is it?"

The two were surprised all over again as the touch of the mist made their own reiatsu flicker and swell brightly around them. The amused smiles faded from their faces and they looked more closely at Tetsuya as he climbed onto his hands and knees on the bed, panting and shivering, and his eyes meeting theirs aggressively.

"Sousuke," Gin mused, "this isn't just vamp saliva."

"No," Aizen breathed, his own teeth baring in a chilling smile, "this is resonance."

"He's resonating with both of us?" Gin realized, "How very odd!"

"The threat of the vamp, the nearness of death that was about to thwart fate must have ignited it," Aizen suggested.

"I feel a bit dizzy."

"I do also. This feeling is…"

Aizen moved to the side of the bed, watching through hazy eyes as Tetsuya snapped at the tie at his waist, pulling it free with his teeth. The younger man's glowing blue eyes locked on his, and Aizen stared in fascination as he felt the hogyoku flicker approvingly.

 _I see._

 _This is…fate assisting us?_

 _Why is that?_

He let his yukata fall open and captured Tetsuya under the chin, guiding the younger man to his alert nether region, while Gin climbed onto the bed and took up a position behind Tetsuya.

Inside the three men's minds, the invading euphoria took over.

Gin dampened his fingers and moved closer to Tetsuya, capturing his attractively wiggling bottom and beginning a slow preparation. Aizen's foggy brown eyes glared hungrily down at the young man who pleasured him, as his fingers sank into the dancing waves of soft black hair and he wrapped his hand around the back of younger man's neck, encouraging his enthusiastic motions. Gin completed his preparations, then he curled an arm around Tetsuya, turning him and bringing the slighter shinigami down on top of him as he laid back on the bed. Aizen climbed onto the bed and moved in behind Tetsuya, holding the younger man's hips as Gin made his entry, then he joined slowly with the two.

It was then that the rapturous euphoria seemed to take over the three of them, causing a heavy flurry of heated undulations. Tetsuya's fingers clawed wildly at Gin's shoulders and chest and his feisty mouth savaged the silver-haired man's roughly. Trapped between the other two men's bodies, he writhed and panted feverishly as their movements brought swirls of fierce, barely controlled reiatsu swells that spun through the room, knocking things over and sending stray papers flying. Across the room from the enraptured men, Cherry-chan sat up, tilting her head as she watched for a moment, then trotted out onto the balcony to avoid the worst of the reiatsu storm.

Inside the room, the three entwined shinigamis continued their passionate movements, moaning loudly and thrashing uncontrollably as they climaxed violently together. Their completion sent a shock wave of energy that spun out of their collapsing bodies and tore through the room, shattering the glass windows and doors, and setting off the fortress alarms. Out on the balcony, Cherry-chan yelped and crouched in a corner, away from the flying glass. A frightened attendant and guard opened the door and looked in to see their leader and his silver-haired lover, entwined with the body of the prisoner they had seen brought in earlier. The two exchanged glances, noting that all involved were still breathing, then they shook their heads and closed the door again.

The frenetic sexual exchanges continued well into the night, ending only as the first light of dawn leaked into the room. After their final joining, the three fell into a deep sleep that lasted through most of the day. As his sleep lightened, Aizen felt the hidden hogyoku throb in his chest and three visions flared in his mind. The first was a repeat of the dream he had had before of the mounted fighter dressed in the livery of the Kuchiki family and wearing the mark of a healer, who fought the electrical hollow. The second was a memory of Aizen, himself, disguised as a scientist and leaning over the body of a black-haired, blue-eyed youth, who looked back at him with a terrified expression.

" _He's mine!" a male voice said angrily._

 _The intruding prison guard shattered the bonds on the blue-eyed prisoner's wrists and pulled him to his feet. He shoved another young man in Aizen's direction._

" _You can have that one."_

 _The disguised Aizen looked at Orochi more closely._

" _There is something strange about that young man. That's why I chose him. What is he to you?"_

" _I told you," Orochi spat furiously, "Tetsuya is mine."_

The third vision that streamed in from the hogyoku was another distant memory from some years before.

 _He stepped out into the lovely gardens from the still bustling dining room, relieved to have a more quiet environment. His eyes turned to the sky to enjoy the sight of the moon and stars overhead, but he was distracted by the sounds of soft voices a short distance away. He invoked an illusion to hide himself and moved closer to find Byakuya standing in the gardens, a little away from the house, talking to a young man in a dark colored house guard's uniform._

" _Did you pick up on anything I should know about?" Byakuya asked the young man._

 _A little jolt went through Aizen as the younger man's head turned slightly so that his face was lit by the moon._

 _Tetsuya…_

" _The Saito representatives didn't appear to be hiding anything," Tetsuya reported._

 _He paused, and his head tilted as he considered something more to add._

" _Tetsuya?"_

" _It was my first time meeting Aizen taichou," he commented._

" _And what was your impression?" Byakuya asked._

" _It was strange," Tetsuya mused softly, "I feel like I've met him before. But that's impossible, right?"_

Aizen's brown eyes opened and he glared at Tetsuya's blissfully naked and sleeping body that was curled comfortably into Gin's arms.

 _Why?_ he asked the hogyoku, _Why did you keep this from me until now? I did meet Tetsuya in the prison and Orochi stole him away, but I also saw Tetsuya at Kuchiki manor…and that's when I learned that there was someone who shadows Byakuya much of the time. An unseen protector, who watches over him, and is only publicly referred to as "Byakuya's right hand." If Tetsuya is here, then he came on Byakuya's behalf._

 _His cover story was a lie._

 _He is here to spy on me and to take the information back to Byakuya._

 _I should kill him right here and now._

He glared icily at Tetsuya's bare back, considering how to end his life. It was then that he noticed Gin's eyes were open and watching him curiously. The silver-haired man's fingertips stroked Tetsuya's hair, and he breathed a soft incantation, loosing a kido spell to keep Tetsuya from waking.

"Well, those are deadly eyes, aren't they?" Gin mused, "Is something wrong?"

"Tetsuya is a spy for Byakuya."

Gin studied Tetsuya's comely face for a moment.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Aizen affirmed, "I didn't place him before, but I saw him once at Kuchiki Manor. He's Byakuya's bodyguard and healer…the one they call his right hand. There is no reason that Tetsuya would be in Las Noches unless he was spying for Byakuya."

"That is disappointing," Gin sighed, "So, after all of that delicious, wild lovemaking, you're going to kill him? I suppose it's only to be expected, but he was a very sweet and tasty little vamp. You should do it quickly and just get it over with…or do you want me to?"

Aizen's gaze grew a shade deadlier. He drew back his bare hand, aiming at the sleeping shinigami's unprotected chest. But as he began to move, another vision flashed in his mind, freezing him in place.

 _He found himself wrapped from head to toe in heavy, restrictive bonds, his senses inhibited so that he couldn't even tell where he was. Waking to that was horrid enough, but the situation grew worse as he felt stings and stabbing pains in his body, then heard laughing and mocking voices._

" _So, you wanna be king," a drunken male voice said, "How's this for my curtsy, your fucking majesty?"_

 _A deeper pain tore through his core, and with the restrictive bonds, his regeneration occurred painfully slowly, which the men torturing him must have known it would._

" _Animals!" he hissed, earning more laughter and another bout of attacks._

 _The men, he could sense, were keeping their distance and cutting through the slits in his bonds to injure him. He sighed inwardly, knowing that there was nothing to do, and he would heal eventually. After a time, the men went away, and he was left alone with the stinging of his wounds. It may have been a long time, even a day or more, but then he heard light, familiar footsteps approaching._

 _Tetsuya?_

 _The locks released and some of his bonds fell away, and he found himself looking up into Tetsuya's gentle eyes._

" _I am here to heal you," Tetsuya said, showing his healer's mark, "Please do not attack me."_

 _He leaned closer, touching soft fingertips to one of the cuts on the imprisoned Aizen's body, and at the same time, leaned forward slightly so that the prisoner's hand could feel the round bump on his belly._

" _Please trust me," Tetsuya said solemnly, "I am only here to heal you. I will watch over you, because once, when you could have killed me, you watched over me instead. Will you trust me?"_

Aizen stiffened and stared at Tetusya, the vision still spinning in his mind and a heavy feeling of fate enthralling him.

"Sousuke," Gin said in a serious tone, "are you all right? Did something happen? I thought you were going to kill him."

 _But will killing him actually thwart the fate in which I am somehow defeated? Or, if I kill him and I am still captured, will I just face more torments and have less of a chance of escape. I suppose if the hogyoku is giving me this information, it suggests that I should not kill this man right now._

"No," Aizen answered, still staring down at Tetsuya, "I have a better use for him."

"Oh?"

"Yes. It seems that Tetsuya is not a normal shinigami, and something very odd has happened."

Gin gave him a crooked smile.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.

Aizen took his lover's hand and laid it on Tetsuya's soft, bare belly.

"Do you feel that?" he asked, smirking, "I believe that while the vamp's power was acting on all of us last night, we made a child."


	5. Bearer of Impossible Dreams

**Chapter 5: Bearer of Impossible Dreams**

When Tetsuya woke next, he found that he had been returned to Aizen's quarters and his body carefully washed and dressed in a lovely silken white yukata. An expensive looking golden fabric tie was wrapped around his slender waist, and his wrists were now adorned with golden infinity bands, which he sensed were infused with some kind of power.

 _These are more than just limiters_ , he mused, _They serve more complicated functions. So, it is most likely to mark me as his servant._

He sat up slowly, noting that Cherry-chan had been curled up next to him. She squeaked cutely as she yawned and stretched, then she sat on the bed, waving her fluffy tail back and forth and waiting patiently.

"Good morning, Cherry-chan," he greeted the little fox, who yipped and nuzzled his offered hand, "It's maybe not nice to still be here, but if I have to be here, I am glad you are with me."

"That's so sweet!" Gin gushed, stepping into the room from the balcony and walking to the bed where Tetsuya waited, "You're making my Che-che so happy. I like that."

"Erm, I'm glad," Tetsuya said, looking up at him uncertainly.

"You're looking a little confused, Tetsuya-chan. Are you feeling all right now? That hollow vamp tried to make a meal of you."

"Y-yes, I remember it grabbing me. I'm a little fuzzy on what happened after that. I'm especially fuzzy on how I got back here, and why I'm dressed like this and not tied up or anything, considering I did try to escape."

"Those are good questions," Gin chuckled approvingly, "Let's see what I can do to ease your confusion. To start with, you disobeyed Sousuke by trying to escape. Not that I blame you really, you being Byakuya's _right hand_ and all.

Tetsuya blanched, earning a stern look from the silver-haired man.

"Oh yeah, he figured out who you were, and you're lucky that wasn't until later. But hang on, I'll get to that. First things first. You tried to escape and you ran headlong into a hollow vamp."

He noted the shiver of recall that went through the younger man's slim body.

"I see you remember that part now."

"Y-yes."

"Well, that nasty thing had you dead to rights, Tetsuya-chan. We arrived and found her holding you against her and licking your pretty white neck."

"Kami!" Tetsuya whispered, touching the side of his neck with tentative fingers.

"Don't worry," Gin giggled, tickling his cheek and making it blush brightly, "we didn't let her bite you, although who could blame her. You are a tasty little dish, aren't you?"

"P-please…stop!" Tetsuya managed shakily, turning his head away as Gin moved in closer.

"You're so cute, being all shy like that! But…after we banished the hollow reiatsu, you weren't shy with Sousuke and me."

"Oh god!" Tetsuya breathed, closing his eyes against the truth of what he'd done.

"Don't be embarrassed," Gin snickered, "You were amazing! Eh, at least, I'm pretty convinced you were. We only have flashes of memory of all of the crazed fucking we did all night. Even what little we remember is pretty mind-blowing!"

"S-stop!" Tetsuya pleaded.

"Well, you did start it," Gin pointed out, "and Sousuke and I were well aware that if we didn't let you have your way with _somebody_ , you were going to lose your mind, after all. We thought that you would prefer not to do that with just any random hollow around, or the vamp, who would have killed you if she was still alive, so we let you have your way with us all night!"

Tetsuya's teeth clenched and he kept his eyes closed tightly as Gin's mouth claimed his.

"Come on," Gin teased him, licking Tetsuya's lips and trying to push his marauding tongue into the younger man's protesting mouth, "You were so enthusiastic before. What happened?"

"You know it was just the hollow vamp's saliva!" Tetsuya complained, pushing against Gin's chest defensively, "I would never…!"

"Oh," Gin said, opening his eyes and glaring down into Tetsuya's threateningly, "now, that's not true at all, is it, my little cherry blossom? Don't bother lying to me or to Sousuke. See, we saw the truth… _in the resonant light that surrounded us all_ and got us to make a baby last night!"

Tetsuya's sucked in a shocked breath and gave Gin a look of absolute horror.

"It's true," the silver-haired man confirmed, "Sousuke sensed that when we woke up earlier…well, that and the fact that you're the one they call Byakuya's right hand."

"Aizen knows my true identity…and he chose to let me live?" Tetsuya whispered.

"Well," Gin laughed, making Tetsuya flinch as he patted the young man's soft belly, "if we killed you, we'd kill the little love blossom we made last night, and who wants that?"

Tetsuya shivered and met Gin's eyes more tentatively.

"Aizen wants the baby?" he asked anxiously, "Why?"

Gin read the fearful look in Tetsuya's wide, dampening eyes and gave him a bracing pat on the cheek.

"Don't be so worried," he laughed, "At least he's decided to let you live, right? That's good."

"I don't know," Tetsuya said, deflating and surprising Gin by leaning slightly into his embrace.

 _Well, he did get quite a shock, learning about last night, the baby and Sousuke knowing his identity, all at once. That's a lot to deal with._

"He was the one who came to Itamigiri, and he experimented on the people there…the ones like me. He was going to use me in one of his experiments, but my awful cousin stopped him. The prisoner who replaced me never came back to the cellblock. That means that Aizen killed him instead of me."

"I'd say that makes you lucky," Gin said, dropping all pretenses, "You know, Tetsuya-chan, you've been extremely fortunate, keeping yourself alive all of this time. Play your cards right and you and the baby will come through all right too."

"You don't really think that," Tetsuya said solemnly, "You are just saying that to calm me, so that I won't fight you or try to escape."

"Well," Gin said, smirking, "I think you and I both learned that escaping isn't really a safe or sane idea, so you don't have many options. Anyway, look at you. You're in the lap of luxury and Sousuke is spoiling you, dressing you in nice clothes and protecting you with that illusion that's around you."

"Illusion?" Tetsuya repeated, blinking in confusion.

"Oh, come," Gin urged him, leading Tetsuya to a nearby full length mirror, "See?"

Tetsuya froze, staring in complete shock at his reflection.

Although his height and his blue eyes remained the same, the rest of him had been altered by Aizen's illusions to make him look like a strikingly beautiful humanoid hollow. His tumbled waves of black hair were now streaked with strands of deep blue and royal purple. His sapphire eyes looked out of a silvery blue mask that covered his forehead and the front of his face, as well as his cheeks, down nearly to his mouth. His willowy body was dressed in an Arrancar uniform and included a hollow hole over where his heart should have been. The uniform was sashed at the waist and bordered in black.

"See there," Gin said proudly, "I think he outdid himself, don't you?"

He gave Tetsuya a meaningful look.

"Don't you try running off anymore, okay? You might make it out of here, you might not. But you wouldn't get a very nice reception from the shinigamis, now, would you? They'd probably kill you on sight!"

 _He's right_ , Tetsuya reasoned, still staring disbelievingly at his own reflection, _There is no way that anyone would hold back, once they saw a powerful form like this in front of them. They would attack immediately. I wouldn't even make it back into the Seireitei._

Gin gave him a pat on the face.

"But don't be getting all melancholy now," he chuckled, "This form might get you killed in the Seireitei, but…it marks you as Aizen's own love slave. No one is allowed to touch you, but Sousuke or me. You can go anywhere within the grounds of Las Noches without being troubled. It's quite the honor. I'm not sure how exactly you charmed him into doing that, when I could see when he figured out who you were, that he really wanted to kill you."

"He probably should have killed me," Tetsuya said, shaking his head, "Did he say anything at all about what changed his mind?"

"Not in so many words," Gin explained, opening his usually slitted eyes and locking them on Tetsuya's, "but I have a little theory about that."

"You do?" asked, feeling a strange feeling of near paralysis as he gazed deeply into Gin's revealed eyes.

"I do," Gin affirmed, "He made a few references to the hougyoku."

"The hougyoku?" Tetsuya whispered, blinking dazedly.

"He didn't come right out and say it, but I think it's the hougyoku that convinced him not to kill you. Don't ask me how. I was holding you in my arms when he was about to kill you. I saw his intent…then I saw it change, and I saw that he was ambivalent about the whole thing. Sousuke has secrets he keeps even from me. It's the way he is, so you might as well just get used to it. Bottom line, he was going to kill you for infiltrating Las Noches, and the hougyoku convinced him not to somehow. You should thank your lucky stars it did, but maybe you shouldn't assume you'll always be so lucky."

"I didn't come to Hueco Mundo with any intent to infiltrate Las Noches," Tetsuya insisted, "The cover story I gave you was essentially true, except that I'm not of the Rukongai. I was there offering healing and protection to the village, when I was pulled into the garganta and trapped there. Grimmjow captured me while I was weakened by the witch hollow's power."

" _Which_ hollow?" Gin joked, smirking, "Oh, you said _a witch hollow_."

"Yes," Tetsuya answered with perfect seriousness, ignoring the other man's attempt at levity, "I was unable to use my powers properly, so I had no choice but to let Grimmjow bring me with him. The other option was he would have killed me, then and there. I was just saving my life."

Gin gave him a skeptical look.

"Tetsuya-chan, don't play games with me," he said, nudging the younger man up against the wall and trapping him there, "While I might believe that you are telling the truth about the witch hollow, which you may or may not be…don't try to convince me that you took Grimmjow's invitation without considering the advantages of being the love slave of an Espada in Aizen's army! That would have been top of the list for a smart little thing like you. If you had to be the love slave of one of the enemy elite, you wouldn't miss the opportunity to use the situation to gather some important intel for your beloved cousin's use, _ne_? You don't have to answer. I already know. So, whether it was a crime of opportunity or you planned it from the start, you did consider using this situation to your advantage. You don't have to feel bad about that, but don't doubt for a minute that Sousuke knows exactly what you're up to. And right now? Especially because of the little gift that you've got in your belly? You'd better understand your exact position and do your best not to get yourself killed."

Tetsuya stared back at Gin, a little jolt touching his insides as he absorbed the silver-haired man's words.

"Gin-san…" he began.

Gin giggled and tickled him under the chin, stopping him.

"Oh, come now, we've been to bed together, Tetsuya-chan. Although you have to be all stiff and formal with Sousuke, you and I can be more casual, okay?"

"Erm…Gin, you're confusing to me again."

Gin laughed softly.

"Am I, Tetsuya-chan? How?"

"You obey him faultlessly," Tetsuya reasoned, "You were even accepting of the idea of him killing me before…but the way you speak to me…you sound like you want me to survive, even though you won't take a direct action to help me escape or to save me if he decides to kill me. Why are you doing that? What's in your mind, Gin?"

Gin opened his hypnotic eyes again and glared down into Tetsuya's, intensifying their strange power and holding the younger man helplessly in his embrace.

"What's in my mind?" he repeated, "That's a _very_ personal question."

Tetsuya shivered, but he drew in a stabbing breath and stiffened his resolve, surprising Gin with his tenacity.

"Well, as you, yourself, pointed out, we've been to bed together. We've made a child. Those who have been intimate can ask intimate questions, _ne_?"

"Ah!" Gin laughed, clapping his hands playfully, "Tetsuya-chan, you are so very cute! I'm really glad Sousuke didn't decide to kill you!"

 _There's something really odd about him_ , Tetusya noticed, _He has gone out of his way to advise me how to avoid Aizen's deadly side, even though he shows that he would be accepting of me dying if it was Aizen's will. Where does this man really stand? Is he Aizen's true ally? Does he have another agenda?_

 _Who exactly is Gin?_

 _Is he my enemy?_

 _Is he some level of ally?_

 _What does he want from me?_

"I can see your mind turning things over," Gin said more quietly, "I know everything passing through it. So, don't burden yourself any longer with trying to be Byakuya's little spy. You're safe from the enemy, even though you are in the enemy's heart. Relax, eat, drink and gestate, Tetsuya-chan. That's about all you can do."

"Do you love this child?" Tetsuya asked suddenly, making Gin's eyes fill with surprise and curiosity.

For a long moment, the silver-haired man looked back at him silently and gave no answer. Then, he placed an oddly tender kiss on Tetsuya's flushed lips and let him go.

"Now, why would you ask me a strange question like that?" he chuckled, "Who doesn't like babies, Tetsuya-chan? As long as I don't have to change the diapers…"

"I didn't ask you if you liked babies in general," Tetsuya clarified, "I asked you if you love the baby that the three of us have made?"

He paused and took a steadying breath.

"I ask you this, because I can't protect this child, who I do love. I am, as you pointed out, helpless to Aizen's will. I have no way to stop him if he decides to harm our baby like he harmed the subjects he used in his inhumane tests in Itamigiri all of those years ago. So…I'm asking you…"

Tetsuya went silent and perfectly still as Gin trapped him up against the wall again and invaded his mouth forcefully, pressing his body up against Tetsuya's and bringing his lips to the younger man's ear as he released Tetsuya's shocked lips.

"The baby is the embodiment of something that should be impossible," he whispered into Tetsuya's ear, "and I really like things that exist, despite being impossible. I can't protect you or the baby either, so you have to be very strong, Tetsuya-chan. Accept my help, but never, ever be dependent on me. I'll undoubtedly fail you, because…like you, I have a mission."

Tetsuya started to answer, but was silenced as the bedroom door opened and Aizen entered the room. His eyes found Tetsuya in Gin's arms and trapped up against the wall, and a little smirk rose on his lips.

"Well now, you look like you're having fun, Gin," he observed, "but it's time to wind down. Will you pour us some wine?"

He glanced at Tetsuya's blushing face and downcast eyes.

"Tetsuya, I suppose that since you are with child, wine would be inappropriate for you. Is there something else you would prefer?"

He read Tetsuya's surprised expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Well, you've mostly been dismissive of me," Tetsuya noted, "and although Gin has focused his attention on me, I've mostly been beneath yours, with you talking over me instead of to me…except, of course, when you were trying to intimidate me."

Tetsuya froze, staring in dismay as Aizen curved a warm palm around his cheek and gazed down into his eyes.

"We've been intimate."

"I know you barely remember anything that happened," Tetsuya managed, "None of us do."

"Yes, that is true," Aizen affirmed, "and the very fact that fate gripped all of us as tightly as it did is plenty of reason to look at you differently, isn't it? Now, two times, I have been on a path to killing you, once in Itamigiri, with my experiments, and once here, last night, when I figured out who you were. And two times, fate has intervened to save you. Now, fate has placed this little anomaly in your body. I'm curious, Tetsuya. And you should be very glad that I am. My continued curiosity about you…is the one thing that is keeping you alive."


	6. The King's Eyes

**Chapter 6: The King's Eyes**

 **(Thanks going out to everyone supporting this story, especially to Wolfie, Sesh and Sariniste. More will be along soon! Love, Spunky)**

Aizen Sousuke's dark brown eyes opened and gazed through the darkness at the two very different men lying beside him in his bed. He found it odd that Gin, being the very jealous, insidious and crafty person he was, would willingly put another in between them in their bed. He should have suggested, at least, that Tetsuya should be given a room of his own that they would visit to give the young man the necessary infusions.

 _Of course, I would never entrust my progeny to the hollows to guard. We do not depend on each other or give each other things like trust. They follow me out of respect, out of fear, or for their own selfish reasons. I lead them, but I would never, ever really trust anyone._

 _I don't need trust._

 _No, things like trust and dependence would only bring betrayal, disappointment, even death._

His mind turned back to thinking about Gin, and he watched closely as the silver-haired man shifted in his sleep and his arms both embraced the young man carrying their child, and reached for Aizen too.

 _You are such a complex creature, Gin!_

 _You tease me in so many directions. You claim you are a snake, who does not know anything but being crafty and wise. But even though you are like a snake, there is still an innocent person inside of you. You use your wiles as needed, but every now and then, you evince a humanity that one would not expect from you._

 _Rangiku._

 _Cherry-chan._

 _And now, Kuchiki Tetsuya, who carries our child._

 _It seems that each of these three holds a special place with you. While you are careful not to broadcast your feelings for them, you make moves meant to help them protect themselves, even when you choose not to overtly help them. Sometimes you coil yourself around them. Sometimes you give them a warning and leave them. Sometimes you bite, but you don't always loose venom when you do. Such a careful display of willfulness!_

 _I am curious, however._

 _I understand that you want to protect Rangiku because of your personal history. And you want to protect Cherry-chan because you are charmed by her. But when it comes to this half-noble son of the Kuchiki family, is it Tetsuya you are protecting? Is it our child? Is it both?_

 _Where is your mind now?_

 _Where is your heart?_

He puzzled over the silver-haired man's behavior until he had to admit that spending time on the matter wasn't revealing at this point. He simply had to wait and watch Gin's moves. Instead, he turned his attention to the crystal orb implanted in his chest.

 _Yes, Hougyoku, you have made some interesting moves lately._

 _You read Gin's desires, mine…and perhaps Tetsuya's as well, and this led you to work the fine lines of fate and chance to leave the three of us entwined. What is this child to each of us? For my own part, I did not desire a child, nor did I feel I needed one to carry on my legacy. But apparently, having one will somehow lead to something I do desire._

 _What, I wonder?_

 _What Gin brings to my life is clear. He doesn't just sate my sexual hunger, he teases my mind incessantly. He piques my curiosity, and just when I think I understand him, he acts unexpectedly. The attraction between us is palpable and undeniable. It fascinates me, because I sense that although Gin is as obsessed as I am, he has the intent to undo me. He will betray me. I wonder how doing so will serve his needs. I am so curious to see this play out._

 _Tetsuya, now he is a wholly different creature than Gin. While Gin delights in playing games, Tetsuya does not play them, and he doesn't understand people who do. He is riveting because the world has not been kind to him. He grew up uncivilized and in poverty and constant distress, but where the unfairness and viciousness of circumstance in my own life left me cynical and ruthless, Tetsuya has maintained an innocence that no one seems able to break. Although he was unloved, he understands and embraces love. He has the potential for great power, but he holds it back carefully. He uses it to protect, to heal, to show love. And now…he carries the child of two men who might well take his life once the baby comes. Yet, he rests quietly in between us, his heart beating steadily and his mind working quietly. Tetsuya is a relentless survivor. I do very much find myself enthralled by that._

His hand crawled down to rest on the little bump that had formed on Tetsuya's slim abdomen, and he was taken back to the vision the hougyoku had given him, of a very pregnant Tetsuya arriving to heal him, where he was bound and trapped in kido suppressing straps in a dark prison cell.

 _Then, is it not the child, but the pregnancy that the hougyoku encouraged? It's clear how the pregnancy hormones and the presence of a child will serve Tetsuya's desires. He desires innocent, familial love. If he and the baby survive, he will certainly have that._

 _What Gin and I gain from this is more elusive…_

The fingers of his other hand moved to lightly stroke the smooth surface of the hougyoku.

 _How exactly does this child answer our strongest desires? What do we gain from having made this baby?_

He gazed quietly at Tetsuya's still slightly troubled sleeping face, considering.

 _Is it really the child, or is it something about him? How does our association with Tetsuya change things?_

He thought back to his earlier perusal of his notes from the studies done in Itamigiri.

 _There was nothing in particular that stood out about him back then, except for his durability as one raised in captivity. His potential was clear, of course. He had respectably sized spirit centers. Still, it was nothing I could point to that made me choose him over another. Thinking back, I remember the strength of Orochi's objection to me choosing him for my experiments. I did always think that there was a worthy story there, but I didn't think it important at the time._

 _I wonder…_

He noticed then that Tetsuya's blue eyes had opened, and were looking at him warily.

 _You know very well the precariousness of your situation_ , he thought, moving a hand to curve around the young man's face, _but just like back then, you know that there is nothing that fear will accomplish here. It cannot save you if I decide I am done with you and choose to kill you. So, you do away with fear, and you live the life given to you in moments._

 _Fascinating._

"Is…something wrong, Aizen-sama?" Tetusya asked softly, "You look…like your mind is tasked with something."

Behind Tetsuya's back, Gin's icy blue eyes opened slightly to watch them.

"His mind is always like that, Tetsu-chan," the silver-haired man replied quietly, "always pondering, considering, anticipating. It's how he stays ahead of everyone. Always thinking ahead and always planning."

"Planning for what?" Tetsuya asked, "I have, of course, heard that you seek to be king, but…I am curious. Why do you want to be king?"

Aizen's inquisitive brown eyes blinked very slowly.

"There are different reasons why people seek power," Tetsuya went on, "Some crave the power, some crave control, some seek attention or the love of others, respect. I can name as many reasons as there are specks of sand in your desert here, but I cannot understand what drives you. Your words to the taichous, _I need to aim higher, to fill that vacancy in the sky_ , what is really beneath them?"

Gin's eyes looked over Tetsuya's shoulder and into Aizen's.

"Now, why are you asking him something like that, Tetsu-chan?" he hissed very softly into the young man's ear, but loud enough for Aizen to hear too, "Do you think a man like him needs something as simple as reasons? What if it's just to see if he can?"

Tetsuya continued to gaze steadily into Aizen's hypnotic brown orbs.

"That's far too simple," Tetsuya reasoned, "Aizen-sama is a complex and shadowed person. I think the answer…may be in the words he chose when he betrayed his comrades."

"There is such power, such truth, even in the lies we speak, isn't there?" Aizen mused, looking back at Tetsuya raptly, "So, tell me, what do you read in those words, Tetsuya? Why do you think I want to be king?"

Tetsuya breathed slowly, considering as two pairs of glittering, deadly eyes watched him closely.

"The first part of what you said is both truth and illusion. As sentient beings, reaching higher is how we evolve. You do need to reach higher, not only because that is our nature, but also it is how you will achieve the goal hidden in the second part of what you said."

A very sly smile snaked its way onto Aizen's lips.

"The first words are like one of your illusions," Tetsuya went on, "meant to distract away from your hidden goal that you would not choose to share with them. You also said that you needed to fill that vacancy in the sky."

"Yes."

"This means that you have either seen, or you have some way of knowing the current state of the king."

"Yes."

"Will you tell me how you learnt it?"

"Perhaps," Aizen countered, "First, you tell me why you think I need to fill that vacancy in the sky. What are your suspicions?"

Tetsuya thought quietly, then nodded briefly.

"The word you chose, _vacancy_ , is telling."

"Is that right?"

"It casts the king as non-existent, when, if you know the true state of the king, you know that one does exist. But you do not acknowledge him."

"Probably because the bastard is dead," Gin snickered, "So, technically, the king that we have is just a place holder."

"He is the mere illusion of a king," Tetsuya offered, "He sits on the throne and holds the fabric of our worlds together, but he does nothing and has no power to change our worlds. The real power of governance lies with the noble houses, who keep the secret of the king's condition shrouded. They cover this with a half-truth. They say that they do not reveal the truth to everyone, because it would make the commoners panic and would cause disorder."

"When, in reality," Aizen said softly, "while some would panic and some would not, some would likely be motivated to evolve to fill the space left by the king."

"But the noble houses don't want that," Tetsuya explained, "Should an issue of the Rukongai, a man, say, like you, become king, then the power, influence and wealth of the noble families would be threatened. So, they keep a powerless king on the throne and usurp leadership, sowing lies to keep it hidden, all so that the power in the Rukongai sons lays dormant. The result is an existence based on lies. To the ones who do not know, the lies are a comfort, not allowing them to see how the ones with the true power keep them weak and docile. But…to the ones who suspect, or even find out the truth, there is no comfort. And this discomfort they feel is released in anger, rebellion, betrayal…war."

"So, is this your answer?" Aizen asked, his eyes flickering dangerously, "You think that the anger I feel over the illusion of the king is driving me to evolve, to make war, to become a true king?"

Tetsuya thought carefully, then shook his head firmly.

"Oh!" Aizen breathed excitedly, "You think it's something else?"

"Not something else," Tetsuya answered, "Something that is this, and it is more. You see, I've identified the fact that _something_ made you learn that there was no real king, _something_ made you evolve and grow strong enough to make war and to challenge the hidden power of the noble class, the Gotei 13, Central 46. _Something_ made you seek the hougyoku and that thing is still driving you."

Tetsuya paused and took a steadying breath.

"This is where I cannot give you the rest of the answer, because it is buried in your past…not your past as Aizen Sousuke, the betrayer and war maker, but whoever you really are beneath the illusions, the person that, at some time in the past, the ones in power must have sensed and must have hurt much more directly."

Tetsuya made a sound of surprise and Gin stiffened as Aizen turned suddenly and sat up, pulling Tetsuya roughly onto his lap. Tetsuya shivered under Aizen's strong hands, reeling at the heaviness of the man's thick, unrelenting reiatsu.

"Gin, prepare him," Aizen said, staring into Tetsuya's widened eyes.

For just a heartbeat, anger flared in the silver-haired man's icy eyes, but it disappeared again almost instantly and Gin's usual smirk returned.

"Of course, Sousuke," he answered, moving in behind Tetsuya and dampening his fingers with lubricant.

Aizen glared deeply into Tetusya's eyes, and the young man's heart raced in rising fear.

"You know, Tetsuya, it is probably a good thing for me that the ones in power never respected you or listened to anything you said. After all, if even one of them had your _heart_ , I would already have lost this war. But the nobles have no hearts. You know this. You have seen their cruelty. You have felt it laid onto your flesh and you ate it every day of your life, even once Byakuya freed you."

"Aizen-sama…"

"Do you want to know the truth, Tetsuya?" Aizen demanded, "Do you want me to show you that _something_ you were referring to without even knowing what it is?"

Tetsuya's eyes rounded.

"They did do something to you!" he gasped, gripping Aizen's strong shoulders and flinching as Gin pressed in close behind him, his fingers working swiftly to prepare him to receive Aizen's affections, "They hurt you too?"

Aizen's eyes flared dangerously at the word _too_.

 _You…empathize with me before even seeing? What manner of person are you, Tetsuya? Is this why the hougyoku kept me from killing you?_

Tetsuya sucked in a scared breath as Aizen turned him to face Gin.

"This is only ever to be shared while we are physically joined. As you see it, I will place a seal on you that will not allow you to disclose what you witness to anyone. Gin, take him."

Gin's usually slitted eyes opened wide, and Tetsuya blanched at the threat of mayhem contained in them.

 _He's angry, really, really angry. But it's not focused directly on me._

 _Ah, I see._

 _Aizen-sama never shared this with him either. It is likely something he has never shared…and he did this, not because his lover asked him, but because his slave came too close to him. I wonder if Gin will now want to kill us…this baby and me._

He gave no resistance as Gin pulled him down, positioning himself and making a rough, careless entry that was clearly meant to cause him pain. Tetsuya flinched, but made no sound, then he relaxed into Gin's arms, bringing his lips to the silver-haired man's ear.

"I am sorry. He should have confided in you, not me."

Tetsuya gasped and clenched his teeth as Aizen's fingers joined Gin's manhood, inside him, working slowly to stretch him further.

"You look upset, Gin," Aizen noticed, "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Gin lied, "But, don't let me distract you."

"But you're such a lovely and dastardly distraction, my love," Aizen purred, "Try not to be too rough with Tetsuya, now. He's hardly to blame for any of this. And maybe…he has changed something critical by bringing us three to this point. You see, I had thought to spare anyone from ever seeing this, but…the two of you are special to me. Just open your hearts as we make love, and I will give you the one truth that is the reason Central 46 will not stop until they kill me."

Tetsuya groaned and quivered as Aizen slowly made his entry. Gin's barely opened eyes still looked angry, but he stroked Tetsuya's hair and whispering into his ear.

"You went too far, pushing him like that. What were you thinking, Tetsu-chan? You'd better hope that body of yours can take what's coming. You may be sorry you answered him at all."

Gin made a soft sound of surprise as Tetsuya's hands held onto him more tightly and he burrowed into Gin's shoulder.

 _What exactly have I unleashed?_ Tetsuya wondered darkly, groaning again as the two men inside him began to move, _What would be so awful, so horrific, that he would bury it in his heart and carry it alone for all of these years?_

 _What is it?_

As the two men joined with him altered their thrusts and fell into a rhythm, all three of them felt a vision rise up in their minds.

 _It was late at night, and a little, brown-eyed boy slipped out of one of the houses near the edge of a quiet Rukongai town. He flash stepped nimbly and gracefully, even in the darkness, heading away from the little house and up, onto a rise that gave a lovely view of the night sky. He came to a stop on the rise and paused, panting softly as he looked up into the pretty stars and let himself be enthralled by the huge, orange and golden moon. He laid down on his back, keeping his eyes on the sky, his busy mind working as he slowed his breathing and began to relax._

 _He might have been there for several hours, when he heard an odd sound, a soft, distant chanting, then he felt a little swell of rising power. He flipped onto his belly and looked back down at his home, and at the expanse of the town that laid beneath the rise he was on. His breath caught and he went perfectly still as cloaked and hooded men began to flash step into view, taking up positions all around the town, until it was completely surrounded. The men stood still, continuing to raise their power as the town beneath the watching boy slept, unaware. Then, one of the men raised a hand, and the moonlight struck the back of his cloak, revealing a noble crest. The boy on the rise remained silent, and he quickly lowered his reiatsu, so he wouldn't be sensed._

" _For the honor of the king," the noble said in a low, commanding voice, "reclaim his power."_

 _The chanting rose up again, this time in a warning hiss, one that made the people in the houses come awake and scream in panic as the nobles' combined powers flared, making everything within the seal they had placed erupt into flames._

 _The eyes of the boy on the hill widened and filled with shocked tears. The screams of his dying family and friends filled his ears, then his head, then his whole shaking body. It was only self-preservation that held him still, and the knowledge that he would only die with them if he was sensed. Instead, he covered his presence carefully and continued to watch silently and with an ever more deadly heart as the screams slowly died and everyone and everything he knew…perished in front of him._

The vision ended suddenly, and the three men crashed down into their spent bodies that laid in Aizen's bed within Las Noches. Tetsuya laid silently on Gin's shoulder, tears streaming down his face. Aizen's calm, quiet eyes looked down into Gin's oddly contemplative ones.

"Well, no wonder," the silver-haired man said solemnly.

"No wonder, what?" Aizen asked, stroking Tetsuya's hair gently.

"No wonder you could murder those 46 men with no conscience," Gin answered, "No matter that some weren't yet councilors when the order was given, they all share the blame, don't they? And you were generous, weren't you? Only 46 lives taken…in exchange for more than 46,000 in that town."

"Oh," Aizen said softly, betraying only a hint of the anger he held back, "that was just the beginning."


	7. Secret Desires Better Left Unsaid

**Chapter 7: Secret Desires Better Left Unsaid**

Gin woke late at night to find himself alone in bed, embraced in warm blankets that radiated the scents of the three naked men who'd been beneath them, and the flutters of their resonant power. He sensed Aizen was in the throne room, and that his reiatsu was calm and focused. He sensed Tetsuya's presence on the balcony, outside the bedroom, and that the young man was still sitting with his arms around a quiet Cherry-chan and silently crying.

 _Do you regret asking him that question now, Tetsu-chan? Sometimes the truth is really ugly, so very ugly that you don't want to know it. Maybe it would be easier to think of Sosuke as a monster that is just monstrous because he is a monster, rather than a monster that the noble families created when they tried to destroy him, as a child._

Gin rolled onto his back, sliding his hands behind his head, and he looked up at the white ceiling, his mind replaying the horrid action that the nobles had taken against the powerful, but innocent young child that Sosuke had once been.

 _It's like Tetsu-chan said…it's exactly like he said. The nobles sensed great power in Sosuke, and they feared it. The fear was understandable, since the nobles have no king to defend them if someone truly powerful challenges them. What is not understandable, what is inexcusable, is that when they sensed Sosuke's power, they instantly decided that the only thing they could do to protect themselves and to protect their system of order, was to stamp out that power they sensed. After all, someone like Sosuke could grow too strong for them to hold down and control. Someone like Sosuke could find out about the enslaved king that lives in a crystal prison and merely holds the worlds together at the whim of his shinigami captors. Someone like him could hide from them and bide his time, growing even stronger, and that person could strike, not just at them, but at the useless thing that sits on the throne. It couldn't give Sosuke or anyone else any kind of justice._

 _So, are we all just searching for the same thing? For justice? Sosuke for his village? Me for Rangiku? Tetsu-chan for the mixed bloods like him? I guess we're just different in what we're willing to do. Sosuke will trample over anyone to make the nobles pay. I have sold my soul and my future to be in position to end Sosuke, when the time comes. And what about you, Tetsu-chan? Even if justice was in your reach, could you be enough of a bastard to grab at it? Or is there something that means more to you than justice?_

 _Poor thing._

 _It's that do-gooder heart of yours, isn't it? Really caring about people hurts, doesn't it? Maybe you should try being a bastard like the rest of us here._

Gin climbed out of bed and walked to the balcony doors. He watched as Tetsuya's hand caressed Cherry-chan's soft fur and he cried soundlessly into the white fox's coat. He endured it for several minutes before curling an arm around the inconsolable noble and guiding him back inside. He coaxed Tetsuya into the bed, then climbed in with him, and turned towards him. Tetsuya laid silently on his back, his face wet with tears, but no longer crying as he avoided Gin's eyes.

"You're a pretty mess, aren't you?" he sighed, "You shouldn't let this get to you so much. It's not like you crying is going to accomplish anything. It won't bring back those dead people and it won't change a bit what Sosuke's going to do."

"Don't you care at all about what those people did to Sosuke's village? Doesn't it bother you what Sosuke is planning to do? What he's already done? Do you care about anything, Gin? About anyone? I know you were close to Rangiku, and if Sosuke's plans come to fruition, she'll be hurt, maybe killed! Doesn't that bother you at all? I'm so confused. I don't know if you or Sosuke are even capable of feeling anything real for anyone! You are both vicious, backstabbing traitors and I wish that I had never…!"

Tetsuya stiffened and made a sound of surprise and fear as Gin's weapon appeared in his hand and he leaned over the pregnant shinigami, holding the tip to Tetsuya's bare throat. Tetsuya's breath caught at the deadly look in the silver-haired man's eyes. If his eyes were cold, his voice was absolutely icy.

"You shouldn't say things like that, Tetsu-chan," he warned Tetsuya, "You don't know what you're stirring up. I may just forget that brat inside you and end you here if you insult me like that again!"

 _If I insult him? Not them?_ Tetsuya mused inwardly, _What is going on with these two? How do I dare stay here when, at any moment, one or the other, or both could decide they're done with me and I wouldn't have a chance in the world of surviving?_

Tetsuya shivered as Gin's weapon disappeared as swiftly as it had appeared. Gin's expression, too, seemed to calm unnervingly quickly. He turned and pulled Tetsuya into a seated position and moved in close behind him. Tetsuya knelt silently, holding back his tears, so as not to set off Gin's volatile temper again. He flinched as the silver-haired man's arms wrapped around his waist, and Gin's reiatsu leaked out of his body and into the bump on Tetsuya's thickening abdomen.

"Sit still, now," Gin said in a perfectly calm tone, as if he couldn't possibly have been threatening Tetsuya the moment before, "You're getting your reiatsu and the baby's out of whack. It's not good for either one of you. Hold still, and no more crying, Tetsu-chan. Understand?"

"Yes," Tetsuya said more calmly.

He relaxed in Gin's arms, closing his eyes and wishing he could be anywhere but where he was.

"The reiatsu is maturing fast," Gin's voice rumbled softly in his ear, "You may have this brat before the war is over."

"Is there some reason that you call our child that? Do you dislike our baby too?"

"No," Gin said, grinning enigmatically, "not at all. Maybe I just figure that with Sousuke and I as fathers, the kid will misbehave a lot."

Gin considered for a moment, then sighed and rested his chin on Tetsuya's shoulder from behind.

"Maybe we should hope the kid is a mild-mannered, sweet thing like you. But…you know, people who are more wicked, like Sosuke and me, tend to live longer."

"I would rather die right now than to become heartless," Tetsuya said softly, looking down at Gin's hands that were caressing his belly with an odd tenderness that didn't match his behavior at all.

At his words, Gin's hands stopped.

"Do you think _we're_ heartless?" he asked in a low, warning voice, "Or were you maybe referring to the noble bastards who murdered Sosuke's entire village…or the ones who imprisoned you before? I think we all have the capacity to be heartless if we're pushed hard enough…even you, Tetsu-chan. It's all a matter of knowing what buttons to push, and then pushing them."

"What pushes yours?" Tetsuya asked, turning to look into Gin's barely opened eyes, "I understand what's motivating _him_ , but I'm not sure what motivates you."

Tetsuya was taken by surprise all over again as Gin laughed and turned him, so that they were facing each other.

"You don't mind helping me out with this, right?" Gin asked, smirking as he indicated his hungry arousal, "Seeing as how it's the infusion that's caused it."

"Oh…um, of course not," Tetsuya replied, blushing, "Ah, wh-what…which way do you want me to…?"

Gin grinned and tickled him under the chin, capturing his face and kissing his soft lips, then guiding them downward.

"Just put your mouth on me for now," the silver-haired man answered, "We'll give your bottom a rest. Kami knows we've been keeping that _occupied_ a lot since you got here."

"It's fine," Tetsuya sighed as he began the requested stimulation, "At least you and Sosuke haven't been cruel. When I was a prisoner, and my awful cousin used my body, he liked to hear my sounds of pain. He liked to make me cry."

"A control freak, eh?" Gin mused, "Dominance is not very imaginative, is it? It's just brutality. Now, Sosuke's kind of manipulation is so much more creative."

"Is that why you follow him?" Tetsuya asked, pausing to look up at Gin's thoughtful expression, "You appreciate how he's able to out-think everyone? You enjoy watching him play with others' minds and hearts like it's some kind of game?"

"Oh, I know it's no game," Gin answered easily, "It's just that I appreciate seeing revenge dished out to people who deserve it."

"But, you didn't know about Sosuke's village before, yet you were already following him," Tetsuya reasoned, "Why, Gin? Was there some other injustice that convinced you to do that?"

Gin extracted himself suddenly and pushed Tetsuya down on his belly.

"You're just way too curious, Tetsu-chan," he scolded the noble as his wetted fingers tested Tetsuya's already damp entrance, "You ask questions you got no right to know the answers to. You get people riled, and when you do, it causes you some misery. Word to the wise? Maybe you should just keep those kinds of questions to yourself. It's safer."

"I understand that," Tetsuya replied, lifting his hips obediently as Gin positioned himself to enter him.

He bit at his lips, closing his eyes and shivering a little as he was penetrated.

"What're you getting all anxious for? You know I'm not going to hurt you," Gin chided him, "Relax. You'll get us both more riled and your poor bottom will get no rest tonight. But, back to what you were saying, if you know you'll rile us with your questions and it'll cause misery for you, then why do you do it?"

"Why?" Tetsuya repeated, bowing his head and clenching at the bedding as Gin began to move atop his back, "I ask because I'm trying to make sense of all of this. I'm trying to understand, because I care what happens to all of us."

"You think if you dig deep enough, you'll be able to understand either Sosuke or me?" Gin panted, thrusting harder, "What good would that do, Tetsu-chan? Do you think you can stop his plans if you know why they're happening? Cause, you can't. Knowing won't do a bit of good in trying to stop all of this."

"No," Tetsuya agreed, "but don't you think that if some of the pain you had suffered was healed, you might not be so desirous of revenge?"

Gin paused, mid-thrust, his heart throbbing in his chest almost painfully.

"Oh, right. You're a healer. Of course you want there to be a way to fix everything. But sometimes broken things can't be fixed. What say we change the subject?" Gin asked flippantly, resting his body against Tetsuya's back, but keeping his still unsated member engaged, "We don't talk so much about you. I'm particularly curious about your baby-making ability. How did you learn you had it?"

Tetsuya blinked at the fact that Gin had, again, derailed his questions, but realizing that he probably wouldn't be getting answers any time soon, he relaxed and cooperated.

"I didn't know until I became pregnant for the first time," Tetsuya explained.

"What did that feel like?" Gin inquired, nuzzling his cheek and slipping a hand down to rub Tetsuya's baby bump, "What does it feel like now?"

"I feel a little nauseous and sometimes kind of dizzy. I know I'll start having symptoms like a pregnant woman, because of the pressure on my systems, but it's not so uncomfortable," Tetsuya answered, "and when I was pregnant with my cellmate, Naoki's baby, it made me feel happy, because even though we were hurting and miserable in the prison, we were able to make something beautiful with our love. It made us feel like love was stronger than the hatred we were subject to in that place. It gave us hope, when it seemed like there was none."

"And what happened to that hope?" Gin asked, "Where is your child now?"

"Naoki was killed and I was badly injured when Byakuya-sama stormed the prison to free us," Tetsuya explained, "I lost the baby."

"Hmm…but not your hope, I gather? Or I don't think you'd still be alive and so good at surviving."

"When hopes fail," Tetsuya said, looking into Gin's slitted eyes, "I find new hope. Byakuya-sama took care of me, and as I healed, he said that was all he would ask of me."

"But you've never tried to have a baby again?"

"I was afraid to feel that close to someone. And I've never fallen in love again or experienced a strong resonance with anyone…at least, until this. Of course, what is between us is different, but I do like feeling the baby inside me."

"Feel good?"

"Yes. I can feel the bit of life that's there, and as the baby reaches sentience, I'll be able to feel his or her mind reacting to its developing senses. When the soul reaches sentience, there's such a beautiful feeling I can't even describe. It made me feel so very close to Naoki…like there stopped being any distance between us because we were connected like that."

Tetsuya paused, studying Gin's curious expression.

"You know, as a breeder male, I can also cause a spirit chamber to form in my resonant."

Gin's slitted eyes opened and his head tilted in surprise.

"What was that, now?" he asked.

"If my semen and reiatsu are put inside of you," Tetsuya clarified, "You could become pregnant also. Is that something you desire, Gin? Do you want to feel that closeness to him?"

"Ah…yes…and no. Both, maybe," Gin answered cryptically, "I suppose it would be good to feel that. So, it's just that easy?"

Tetsuya nodded.

"He's been inside you tonight and left his semen and reiatsu in you. If mine is added, that's all that's needed. But…are you sure you want to do that?"

Gin looked into Tetsuya's blue eyes warningly.

"You don't tell him anything."

"Of course not," Tetsuya promised, "It will be for you to decide when to tell him."

 _Or if_ , Gin mused, _I wonder why I want this. I know what I have to do, and I'm not going to hesitate when the time comes. But…planning to kill Sousuke does give me lonely feelings. I don't have to worry if I die in the attempt, but if I actually do carry out my revenge, it will feel lonely without him._

 _How would it feel to have some part of him that wouldn't die when he does?_

Gin gave Tetsuya a little smile and extracted himself. He climbed onto his knees and pulled the noble up with him, then he coaxed the younger man's fingers into preparing him.

"You remember you promised not to say anything," Gin reiterated firmly as he positioned himself and slowly joined their bodies.

"I will," Tetsuya promised again.

 _Usually, I would never let anyone else inside me. But, this feels different in a good way. I guess that even though I don't want to need anyone, I do like the idea of someone needing me. Maybe I really wish that Sosuke needed me. Maybe…this is a way that some part of him will depend on me._

He met Tetsuya's wide, lovely eyes that held such kindness and a genuine desire to heal him.

 _It's like he knows there's something broken here, and he learned that his questions couldn't find it and heal it. But maybe he can do something this way. What a sweet, unspoiled soul he has. How is he like that, when he's experienced such viciousness? Hatred? Evil? How can he stand what they did to him, and not hate them and want revenge?_

 _Such useless questions._

 _I can't be like that. I have a mission, and I'm not going to hesitate to kill Sosuke when the time comes. I am just doing this for myself. I'm just giving myself something to take away the loneliness I'll feel…_

… _when Sosuke is gone…_

Gin sucked in a surprised breath as Tetsuya's body stiffened for a moment, then delighted his with a delicious feeling warmth and fullness. He felt almost immediately the little flicker of hope that was coming to life inside him, and he pushed Tetsuya down on his back, busying him with kisses so he missed the single tear that escaped the silver-haired man's opened eyes.

 _Don't try anymore to understand me,_ Gin's mind whispered into Tetsuya's, _I don't even understand myself sometimes._


End file.
